Chapter 21 Frozen hearts..will they melt by Deepti
Chapter 21
“Arnav..you there??”, his friend’s voice brought him back.
“Ya..ya..tell me”, replied Arnav though his eyes were still focused on Kushi, who walked past him and went into the kitchen.
“Did she get ready for that Abhay?”, wondered Arnav as he stared at her lustrous long hair.
As she came out of the kitchen holding a glass of water and started taking sips from it checking her phone, Arnav took a closer look at her face and noticed that she was devoid of any make up.
“Doesn’t look like she took any special interest in getting ready for him”, thought Arnav and felt content with the very thought of it.
His thoughts were soon disturbed with the arrival of the guests. While Karan arrived with his parents ,Abhay and his parents accompanied them. Aakash and Shashi received the guests and introduced them to the family. After exchanging the pleasantries everyone took a seat in the living room.
“Sorry Shashiji. I didn’t inform you earlier about my arrival. I had an important meeting today which got cancelled at the last moment. So I decided to join my family to have a look at my son’s choice.”, said Arjun Kapoor ,as he smiled looking at his son.
Shashi reciprocated the smile but didn’t let his uneasiness become evident.
The moment he entered Shantiwan, Abhay’s eyes were glued on Kushi. He was lost in her beauty and didn’t pay any attention to anything around him. He was not aware of the chocolate brown eyes which were watching him from the moment he laid his eyes on Kushi. And Kushi was least interested in everything happening there. She was very nervous, and started texting her friends to inform them about Abhay’s arrival.
Anjali and Karan were stealing glances at each other when Karan’s mother, Kavitha Oberoi started talking to Anjali. She instantly liked Anjali and soon both the families agreed for the alliance and started discussing about the engagement and the wedding.
Karan’s family made a quick call to their purohit and got a list of the favorable dates for both the engagement and the wedding, based on Karan’s and Anjali’s horoscopes. They were discussing the dates when Arjun Kapoor said, “By the time we finalize the dates why don’t you both go and have a chat”, addressing Karan and Anjali.
Anjali blushed while Karan readily got up from the couch, as if he had been waiting to hear that order.
“Anjali, why don’t you take him to your room and show your paintings”,suggested Devyani .
“Ya. Would love to see them”, said Karan looking at Anjali.
Anjali smiled and guided Karan to her room while Arjun Kapoor said, “Abhay, You too go and have a chat with Kushi..get introduced…get to know each other”. It was more like an order rather than a suggestion hearing which Abhay silently thanked his father. He looked at Kushi hoping that she would raise from the couch and lead him. But instead, Kushi looked at her father. On getting a nod from him, and the assurance which he gave through his eyes, Kushi got the strength she needed. Understanding what her father was trying to convey, she raised from the couch.
“Go on to the terrace”, said Sakshi who didn’t want Abhay to go into her daughter’s room.
As Kushi started walking towards the stairs , Abhay followed her.
Arnav who became restless the moment he heard Arjun Kapoor’s order, moved uneasily in his seat as he watched Kushi and Abhay taking the stairs.
He got up from the couch with the pretext of some work and shortly followed the couple. Kushi didn’t take Abhay to the terrace which was on top of their house since that would keep her far away from the others.Instead, she took him to the porch which was on the second level of their house, adjacent to her bedroom and informed the same to her mother before she left the living room.
Arnav saw them going towards the porch but he stopped right at the end of the stairs, since it wasn’t decent enough to follow them. Not understanding what to do, he stood still for few seconds and then walked into his room.
Abhay looked around the porch and took in the sight in front of him. The porch had a swing sofa , two chairs and a center coffee table. He noticed the pots of plants which were lined on the three sides of the porch and then looked at the swimming pool from the spot he was standing. The view was beautiful.
“You like plants??”, asked Abhay trying to start the conversation.
“Yes…I do”, replied Kushi.
“So are you fond of gardening”, asked Abhay.
“Why? Are you planning to open a nursery and put me to work there”, thought Kushi though she replied, ” Not really!!”
“You have a beautiful pool”, he said looking at their pool for which Kushi preferred to not react.
“Do you swim?”, he asked looking at Kushi.
“I wish I could …. would have drowned you by now in our pool”, thought Kushi. “Not really”, she replied.
He looked at her raising his eyebrows and sat in the swing sofa.
” Take a seat”, he offered expecting her to sit on the swing sofa which was large enough to accommodate four people.But Kushi took a seat in the chair which was far away from the swing.
“You don’t like me right”, he said out of the blue, hearing which Kushi jerked in her seat. She wanted to scream her heart out and say “YESSSSSSSSS”. Instead she said, “No it’s nothing like that”.
“Then why are you not talking to me”, asked Abhay, raising his doubt.
“Of course I’m talking”, replied Kushi.
“Hmmmm…let me tell u something Kushi. I saw you for the first time at my friend’s wedding. You were there with your friends. When my eyes fell on you I thought that my heart stopped beating for a while”, said Abhay talking dreamily.
“I wish it had stopped permanently”, muttered Kushi as she moved uneasily in her chair.
“My eyes didn’t want to see anything else except you”, continued Abhay.
“When you don’t know how to use them properly,why don’t you donate them to someone who needs them and help them to see this beautiful world “, she thought of giving her suggestion but remained silent.
“That was the moment I decided that you are the one….who is made exclusively for me”, said Abhay.
“Oh really!!”, Kushi uttered with a lot of sarcasm, which totally went unnoticed by Abhay.
“Yes.. I tried to get your information through my friend, but couldn’t…And then I saw you with Karan. You have no idea how happy I was to see you at the hote,l Kushi. I got your details from Karan and here I am, in front of you, finally going to ask you”, paused Abhay.
As Kushi got ready to hear the worst,”Kushi….Will you marry me??”, asked Abhay looking at her, with his eyes full of hope.
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