About an hour ago, before Arnav reached the station: Sitting in the AC Chair car compartment of the train, Khushi was getting restless. It had been more than an hour since she last talked to Arnavji and she wasn’t getting any signal on the phone. She looked around the compartment. There were many known faces who would travel regularly to and fro Delhi and Lucknow. One of them was Mr.Sharma. Khushi and Payal had befriended his wife during one of…
Arnav awoke with a jerk. ‘Khushiii’ … he let go a whisper of his beloved wife’s name. He looked on the other side of the bed that he was sleeping on. The beautiful woman he loved staring at wasn’t there. Just the crumpled bed sheet. He knew she had gotten up early. He knew she was downstairs with the other women in the house. Yet there was this restlessness. Why? And why that dream after all these years? Why now?…
“hume lagta hai, you need a hair cut, arnav ji!” khushi blurted out when asr suddenly looked up while fixing his tie and caught her staring at him. (i think… you need a hair cut, arnav ji!) it was seven in the morning, she was still half asleep in bed. she’d heard some noise and her eyes had opened for a moment. he’d walked into the room from the adjoining dressing room just then, in a charcoal waistcoat over a…
the sun had almost disappeared beyond the tea estates and the faraway mountains. the last rays of light remained, there was an orangey purple hue in the air, on the green tea bushes, the winding paths, and far flung homes and hamlets. khushi’s tiny diamond nose pin glinted for an instant as she turned her face to take a look at herself. she would have walked away after a cursory glance at the mirror, but then her eyes seemed to…
the pooris were heaped high on the stainless steel plate, white, fluffy and still steaming. in a bowl next to them, the potato curry looked delicious, a bright green chilli sat right on top, khushi noticed it was shining. like his eyes, she thought. she swallowed hard and tried to fight her tears. “c’mon, guys, dig in,” salman said with gusto as he swooped down on his makki ki roti and tore a piece grinning at kareena and khushi. kareena…
he had just slipped the narrow end of his charcoal grey silk tie into the loop of the single knot when he felt her ram into him from behind. he inhaled sharply, the knot came undone. but before he could react, her arms had come up over his chest and she was holding him tight at the shoulders, pulling him close… he could feel her bury her face against his fine cashmere waistcoat. “hey!” asr shouted, “watch out! what’re you…