Valley of Flowers Chapter 7

NEXT morning, the Raizada family set out for the Shiv-Gowrimandir for the pooja. Sitting in the backseat of Anjali’s car, Arnav furiously typed into his lap top, completely irked with Nanifor roping him into going to the temple. She had given him an emotionally charged speech about the pooja being done for the well-being of Akash and would be successful only if all the family members were present. The older she got, the better she was getting at emotional blackmail, he thought to himself.

He was also uncomfortable that he was not driving but had decided against arguing about it. Shyam was at the wheel of the car while Anjali sat in the passenger seat and as the car chauffeured by Mohan left the driveway, he began to wonder what was keeping them when the door on the other side opened.

‘Sorry Di, Ashu was being a brat at breakfast.’ Khushi entered the car and looked as surprised as him. His heartbeat quickened at the sight -- She looked like sunshine in a saree.

The saree, a dark shade of yellow with red buttas all over it, had an unusual combination of bronze, red and pink in the border and a matching red blouse lined with a thin bronze border. She had braided her long and lustrous dark hair, but a few wayward strands had managed to escape from their confines, curving delicately on her smooth ivory cheeks. She wore red jhumkas and red bangles, but wore only a simple gold chain on her neck, exposing the long column of her creamy throat.

Damn! He had to stop thinking about her like this. But he seemed to be having a hard time since their tryst in the enchanted garden the previous night, where they had snatched a few moments of heart stopping rapture.

She begannervously pulling on her pallu in an oddly unconscious gesture, drawing an onlooker’s attention to the very part of her delectable anatomy she was trying to hide.Delectable?

He probably had a masochistic streak in him that made him accept his Nani’s speech, knowing that the moron she was going to marry would be standing next to her, taking blessings for their impending nuptials.F@#$!

When they reached the temple, Anjali turned around to Khushi. ‘Khushi, why don’t you and Arnav get off here and get the thaal ready for the pooja? We will park the car and join you soon.’

Khushi and Arnav went toward the stall and Khushi handed over the plate to the man and asked him to prepare it.

‘So all preparations are being done to get you hitched to NK.’ He observed sardonically.

‘Today we are here for jeejaji, Arnav.’ Khushi said quietly, ignoring his sarcasm.

‘You do this so well Khushi.’

‘What?’

‘This switching from Arnav to Arnavji. Is it so easy for you to pretend?’

Her eyes blurred at the insult and she snatched the plate from the man and began to walk angrily toward the temple and in her hurry tripped over a stone protruding from the ground, injuring her toe badly. She sat on the steps of the temple clutching her foot.

‘Khushi,’ Arnav kneeled down to look at her toe. F@#$! It was all his fault for irking her. ‘Are you alright?’

‘I will be, in just a minute.’ Khushi began to collect everything that had fallen to floor and put them on the plate. ‘Oh! The man forgot to give the sindoor!’

Arnav stood up. ‘I will go get it. Stay right there.’

When he came back, he saw Khushi sitting with her head on her knee. He knelt down and put his hand on her head.‘Does it hurt a lot?’ He asked her his eyebrows creased with concern.‘Do you want to go back home?’

‘I can’t go back after coming till here,’ she said as she stood up, ‘I will walk up slowly. Did you get the sindoor?’

‘Here it is.’

‘Arnav, your palm!’ she exclaimed. ‘You have sindoor all over it.’

Now was probably not a good time to tell her it was all over her head too. ‘The first box he gave me opened up.That’s alright. I will get it cleaned later. Now, hold on to your plate real tight.’

‘Why?’ She queried.

He swept her in his arms and took the steps one at a time. When they reached pooja hall, the panditji beckoned to them to come to him. He took the plate from them and began to chant and before Khushi could say anything he adored their foreheads with vermillion and gave them prasad.

‘No panditji!’ Mamiji ran up to them.‘Why are you giving them the prasad?’

‘They are husband and wife aren’t they?’ he retorted back in surprise.‘She hassindoor on her forehead and he carried her up the steps.’

‘What the ---!’ Arnav muttered under his breath as Khushi looked at him sharply, her hands clutching her pallu nervously. ‘I carried her because she hurt her toe. What’s that got to do with anything?’

When he saw Khushi sigh of relief he realized she was afraid he was going to spill the beans on the sindoor fiasco.

‘There is a legend of this temple that when a woman is carried up the steps by a man, he is destined to be her husband if he is not already one.’ Mamiji said in horror.

‘That is just an old wives tale Mamiji,’ Anjali tried to console the agitated woman.

‘How did you get sindoor on your fore head Khushi?’ Mamiji demanded shrilly.

‘Manorama,’ Naniji stepped forward afraid that her daughter-in-law was about to create a big scene, ‘I must have happened when she fell.Now, let us proceed with the pooja for Akash. It’s getting late. Anjali bitiya please get another thaal made.’

‘What has happened is just not right!’ Manoram hissed to her husband as they sat in front of the havan.

As the pooja commenced,Khushihobbled to the area of the temple where some drinking water was kept. She took some water and rubbed it on her forehead.

‘You have made it worse by adding water,’ Arnav came up to her. ‘The colour has become fast now.’

When Khushi glared at him he said, ‘You aren’t really worried about what happened back there, are you? Didn’t you hear what Di said? It is just bull.’

‘I know,’ Khushi said, ‘if it was true we would be married by now. You carried up me these very steps five years ago.’

‘F@#$! Arnav swore.‘Is this the same temple?’ He looked around to see that it was not as remote as it used to be.

Arnav paced in his office. He didn’t know why he was extremely restless today.Khushi.Every day he rushed home so that he could drink coffee she made especially for him before she left for the day. He was addicted to the coffee and --- her.

He got home, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. His restlessness rose. When the phone rang he picked it up and barked into it. The phone call was from Payal asking him if Khushi was still there as she hadn’t reached home. He had answered in the negative assuring her he would call her back if he knew something.Then his mother had asked if Lavanya had returned from the Shiv-Gowrimandir as she had sent her there for a special pooja. So both the girls were missing.He called Lavanya.

‘Where are you right now?’ he asked her without preamble.

‘Um…at the Body Craft spa.’

‘Is Khushi with you?’

‘Oh no!’ she said in a shrill voice, ‘I was supposed to go pick her up from the mandir! I completely forgot!’

‘Calm down and tell me clearly dammit!’ he snapped.

Lavanya explained to him that she had asked Khushi to go the mandir as she had an appointment at the spa which she couldn’t miss. She had also asked to wait there until she could go and pick her up. Arnav cut the phone and rushed outside. He understood the reason for his restlessness.

He took out his bike from the garage, knowing it would be faster than his car. He rode toward the Shiv-Gowrimandir.

He reached the premises of the temple to find it deserted. His heart began to race as he looked toward the woods behind the temple. He began to walk toward the woods. Suddenly a piercing scream rent the air and Arnav’s heart skipped a beat. Khushi!

‘Khushi!’ he shouted and ran toward the direction of the scream.

Four men stood over Khushi who lay on the ground, dazed and disoriented. Had they hit her?

‘Lay one finger on her and I swear I will kill you!’ Arnav said in menacing voice.

One of the men, lunged at him but Arnav ducked out of his way, turned around and smashed his fist under the man’s ear with such force that the man fell to the ground unconscious. Seeing that, two men approached him, trying to apprehend him from two sides. Arnav punched one man at the side of his abdomen while kicking the other man under the jaw. While the two men doubled over in pain, he managed to lay a few more quick punches and kicks until they joined their friend on the floor.

Arnav looked at the man holding Khushi and advanced. The man suddenly pulled out a knife and held it at Khushi’s throat. ‘Stay away or I will kill her.’ He growled.

Suddenly, Khushi bit on his hand hard and the man dropped his knife. He pushed Khushi to the ground and bent down to pick up the knife. Arnav was on him and they struggled together on the ground each man trying to gain victory over the other. The man slashed his knife at Arnav’s face but hit his hand while Arnav ducked. Finally, in one swift move, Arnav straddled the man and managed to smash the man’s wrist on the ground until he released the knife. He then, smashed his fist into the man’s face again and again until the man stopped struggling.

‘Arnavji stop!’ Khushi was trying to drag him off the man, ‘You will kill him!’ Finally her voice penetrated the haze and he stopped. He got off the man and called the police.

He turned toward Khushi, his eyes simmering like hot coals. He grabbed her hands, his fingers holding her in a tight grip. ‘Are you f@#$ing crazy? Why did you stay back here till so late? Didn’t you know this place is frigging dangerous?’

‘I am so…sorry,’ Khushi stuttered. ‘But Lavanyaji told me she would come and get me.’

‘Didn’t I tell you to stop covering for her?’ Arnav said in an exasperated tone.

‘She is my friend.’ Her eyes flashed defiantly.

‘Friend?’ he spat out. ‘Don’t be so gullible. What if something had happened to you?’

‘Nothing happened.’ Khushi didn’t want to tell him that it was him she had called out for and he had come for her. He wouldn’t believe her. ‘Why are you here?’

‘Don’t ask me silly questions like that! Do you know how scared I was when Lavanya told me you were here -- all alone? Why didn’t you call me?’

Khushi shrugged off his hands and going on her tip toes she wrapped her arms around him and began crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. ‘My phone was dead.’

 ‘Sshh…Khushi, it’s okay.’  His arms snaked around her willowy form. As Khushi tightened her arms around him he winced in pain.

‘Hey Devi Maiyya!’ she said emphatically taking her hands off his arm. ‘You are bleeding.’

She tore off a piece of the lining material from her kurti and tied it around his arm.

‘Let’s go.’ He told her tersely. ‘We will have to go to the police station to file a FIR.

‘Arnavji,’ Khushi stopped him. ‘I will have to go up to the mandir. I dropped the prasadthere when the men took me.’

Arnav saw her limping toward the mandir. Before she could get onto the first step he swept her up in his arms and climbed up the stairs, shaking his head in exasperation. In spite of everything that had happened she still wanted to take back the prasad to give to Lavanya! This girl was plain crazy!

Back at the Raizada House, Arnav picked Khushi up in his arms and carried her into the house in spite of her protests that she could manage. He had already carried her down the steps of the mandir and put her in the car much to the consternation of Mamiji and she didn’t want further cold-eyed stares from the older woman.

‘I think you should put Khushi down Arnav,’ Mamijisaid in disdain. ‘She has work in the kitchen.’

‘I don’t think so mami.’ Arnav’s voice was firm. ‘She needs to take a pain killer and rest for some time. I am sure Haripraskash will do the needful.’ He began to walk up the stairs.

‘Arnav, you have got to stop doing this.’ Khushiwhispered to him in embarrassment.

‘Shut up.’

Mamiji walked angrily into her room followed by her husband.

‘That was a little rude of Arnav, don’t you think?’ Shyam turned toward Naniji and Anajli.

‘Well, it is high time someone did something for that girl,’ Naniji said firmly before going into her room.

‘They seem pretty close,’ Shyam said, looking up at the stairs.

‘Khushi has been a part of this house since she was thirteen Shyamji.’  Anjali said evasively. ‘I think I will go up and get some rest.’

‘Rani Sahiba,’ Shyam stopped her, ‘I think you should have the talk with Arnav. It is high time.’

‘Don’t you think I should do it later?’ Anjali evaded. ‘He is probably a little busy right now.’

‘This issue had been procrastinated for a long time,’ Shyam persisted, ‘In any case you said Khushiji is part of this house. It shouldn’t be a problem if we spoke in front of her, should it?’

‘Of course not.’

Just as Arnav gave Khushi some pain killer, Anjali came into the room, followed by Shyam. ‘Arnav, I have to talk to you.’

Arnav looked as his sister and brother-in-law’s serious faces. ‘What is it?’

‘Arnav,’ Anjali paused. ‘It’s about dad.’

He should have known that his sister was going to bring up this topic some time or the other.

‘I am not interested Di.’ He said tersely.

‘Saale saab just hear what she has to say.’ Shyam interjected.

‘Dad is in a medical care facility from the past one year,’ Anjali informed him.‘He isn’t doing too good.’

‘After the torture he put mom through, he deserves it.’ He said his mouth curling with contempt.

‘Arnav, he is not well!’ Anjali said emphatically.‘He has been suffering from Manic Depressive Psychosis from the past twenty years.’

‘You want me to believe he was mentally ill?’ Arnav lashed out.‘No way Di.’ He shook his head in denial.

‘You know his mood swings started after the injury to head during the Jeep accident Arnav.’Anjali tried to reason with him.

‘And whose fault was that?’ he said his anger rising. ‘He wasn’t supposed to use the office Jeep to learn driving in the first place! Mom had warned him about it.’

‘Let’s not get into all those details now.’

‘Why not?’ he asked her emphatically. ‘That man never listened to mom. You know there were problems right from the beginning of the marriage.’

‘I know, but they sorted it all out,’ Anjali said desperately.‘We both were born and everything was fine until the accident.You don’t remember because you were too small.

‘I understand that it was very difficult for mom and after a while she couldn’t handle it anymore.’

‘Don’t say that! Mom took care of him during the accident and also after that. But he completely gave up on us.’

‘He was in a deep depression Arnav,’ she said her eyes welled up with tears.‘He needed treatment.’

‘Di, I know you are a psychologist and you understand people with mental problems. But mom was the victim here. She has always wished that you would show some understanding for her as well.’

‘Is that what she told you?’ Anjali said in a chocked voice. ‘That I didn’t understand her?’

‘Rani Sahiba….’ Shyam put a hand on her shoulder.

‘Why? If I understood dad, did that mean I didn’t love her?’ Anjali looked at Arnav, tears running down her face. ‘Why did she have this relentless need to make us choose between them?

‘After the divorce it was always about her.What about me? Did she ever think that I had had been separated from my father as well?’

‘Di ---’ Arnav was surprised at his sister’s tirade.

‘And now she is gone before I could ask her about all this!’ She cried in despair.’ I wish I could ask her why she never gave me half the love she gave you!’ She turned around and walked out of the room. Shyam hurried after her.

‘Arnav!’ Khushi called out in vain as Arnav walked out of the room, his face thunderous.

Later that night Khushiwalked towardArnav’s room with a tray of food. After his argument with Anjali, he had left the house in his car and come back home late.She had taken a plate up for Anjali and handed it over to Shyam as Anjali had not come down for dinner either. It hurt her to see both sister and brother anguished over past events that had marred their innocent lives, growing up.

She knocked on his door once, but there was no response. She was about to knock again when he opened the door suddenly startling her.

‘What do you want?’ he asked her rudely.

Khushi was dumbstruck to see his dark hair dishevelled, his chocolate brown shirt unbuttoned to the waist.

‘Have you been drinking?’ She noticed his blood shot eyes.

‘Go away.’ He stared down at her.

‘I brought you dinner.’Khushi shouldered her way inside and put the tray on the dinner table.

‘I don’t want it!’ He said tenaciously, hands in the pocket of his denim walking away from her to stand next to the pool.

‘You know you have to eat food so you can take your medicines.’ She said following him to the pool side.

‘My my,’ Arnav turned around to face her. ‘Getting really bossy, are we?’

When she saw the despair on his face she stood on her tip toes and wrapped her hands around his shoulders, trying to absorb all his pain into herself.

He stood for a few seconds quietly, then lifted her hands off his shoulder and pushed her back against the wall and pinned her hands hard against it.

Arnav looked at Khushi, her face illuminated by the reflection of the light from the pool.Her khol lined eyes were wide and twinkling like the stars above, her pink luscious lips quivered invitinglyas a cool breeze blew in covering one of her cheeks with strands of her midnight hair.His eyes moved downwardto peruse the long column of her throat and her full breasts heaving up and down.

His heart beat began its erratic rhythm, and he couldn’t have stopped his reaction any more than he could have stopped the sun from rising. He bent his head down, until his lips were inches apart from hers.

‘Arnav….no,’ she murmured, turning her face away.

He placed tiny kisses across her jaw continuing down her throat, moving to the nape of her neck to take the delicate skin between his lips.

As Khushi let out an audible gasp, he let go of one of her hand, creating a trail of fire down her arm, to the side of her breast, finally resting on the cool skin of her bare waist.

 ‘Arnav, don’t!’ Khushi used her free hand to push at him, her hands burning as she came in contact with the sprinkling of hair on the hard muscles of his chest.

He moved his hand to slide under her pallu, creating havoc across the flat planes of her bare midriff.Khushi’s breath hitched in her throat and she dug her fingernails into his skin, sending a sizzling jolt down his entire body, instantly hardening him.

Arnav let go of her other hand to grab her the small of her back and pull her into his arousal, even as he moved his hand up her rib cage and captured one soft swell of her breast, moving his thumbacross her nipple until it hardened under his attention.

A sound akin to shuffling of feet brought Khushi to her senses.‘Arnav stop!’ She pushed at him with both her hands, looking up at the dark balcony above them.

Arnav lifted his mouth from her neck and pushed her against the wall, pinning her once again with his entire body. ‘Why did you come here Khushi?’ he rasped, his forehead resting on hers as his body quivered with need.

‘I ….I wanted to ---’

‘Comfort me?’ He finished for her. ‘You are not thirteen anymore that you can just comfort me with a cup of tea.’ His brown caramel eyes darkened letting her know what it was he needed right now.

‘Arnav I just ---’

‘Get the hell out of here!’ He released so suddenly she almost fell, her breath whooshing out of her lungs as her injured foot acted up under the impact.

‘Oh for God’s sake!’ Arnav swore as he picked her up in his arms,remorse, reflected in his caramel orbs, piercing through the haze of inebriation. He carried her in his arms and laid her on her bedand walked away from her, his whole body seething with rage.

Much later that night, Shyam ManoharJha, walked on the terrace, pacing about like a restless tiger. He hadn’t been able to sleep. Each time he saw her, he was only reminded about his colossal mistake.

Five years ago, he had come down to Delhi from Lucknow working as an apprentice for a renowned lawyer. He had visited the Guptas, his dad’s old acquaintances on his dad’s insistence. The moment he saw their daughter Payal, he had drawn his own conclusions that his dad was hinting at a marriage proposal. One look at their sparsely furnished tiny house in Lakshminagar had convinced him of the fact that Guptas would not add value to his life. He had told his dad not to pursue the proposal.

And then Payal Gupta had married Akash Raizada and he had subsequently married Anjali Raizada and everything seemed neatly tied up --- until six months ago when he and Anjali had visited the Raizada House to see Payal and Akash’s new born baby.

His world had turned upside down when he saw Khushi Gupta --- Payal’s sister who had been away in Mumbai for the past few years.She was beauty personified.

Not a day had passed since then, that he didn’t spend in regret ---for, it was Khushi’s marriage proposal he had rejected. As fate would have it their younger daughter was not present at home that day and his dad had later told him that the proposal was for their younger daughter Khushi, and not the older one Payal who he had seen at their house. But he had rejected it even without seeing her and at the time he had every reason to believe that it was the right decision.

Now five years later, he found himself pining for her like a lovelorn sick puppy. The fact that Khushi could have been his for the taking just wouldn’t leave him in peace.

To him Khushi was the epitome of beauty, grace and purity.He had been extremely disturbed when NK’s proposal had come along a month ago. But what he had seen tonight was even more disturbing and disgusting beyond words – Arnav Singh Raizadahad touched his Khushi.