Song of the Chapter: Chaahat - Blood Money
"Dhruv?! Tum?! You?! What are you doing here?" Arnav ground out, staring his younger brother down.
Dhruv cocked one brow, and strode forwards with a smirk gracing his features so much like Arnav's.
"Kyun Bhai? Main apne ghar nahin a sakhta? Why Arnav? I can't come back home?" He stopped a few inches in front of him and stared down into Khushi's sleeping face.
"Aur... yeh kaun hai Bhai? And.. who is she?" Dhruv smirked with a sort of interest as he looked into Khushi's face. Arnav felt a surge of rage and wanted nothing more than to, at that moment, bash his younger brother's face in.
"None of your concern." He growled briskly, angling Khushi's face away from Dhruv's view. Seeming to enjoy his brother's primitive reaction, Dhruv threw his head back and laughed, moving out of Arnav's way.
The family swarmed forwards, oblivious to the muted discussion between the brothers.
"Arre Arnav babua, Sanka Devi soh gayi? Arnav, did Khushi go to sleep?"
"Ji Buaji, main isse uppar ke kamre mein- Yes Buaji, I'll just put her upstairs-"
"Haan Babua, jaisan tum teekh samjho. Ok dear, whatever you think is right." Buaji cut him off and after a scathing glance at Dhruv, Arnav climbed the stairs, his Khushi held tightly to his pounding heart.
______________________________________________________________________
"Chote uppar chale gaye?! Did Arnav go upstairs?!" Anjali whispered, and Fateh leaned around the sofa to check.
"Yup, the wolf is in his den." Silence greeted his words before Anjali shook her head at him and continued in muted tones.
"Dekhiye, humein maloom hai ke Chote ke dil mein Khushiji ke liye kuch toh zaroor hain. Bass voh apni zubaan tak nahin layenge. Toh humne soch liya hai ki agar voh apni marzi se zubaan takh nahin layenge toh hum unse zabardasti ikraar karayenge. Look. I know Arnav feels something for Khushi. He just won't admit it. So I've decided that if he won't willingly confess, then we will forcibly make him profess his love!" Anjali declared passionately, looking around for support. Nani nodded eagerly, Mami sniffed before nodding slightly, Akash laughed and nodded in support, Dhruv snickered into his hands, Mamaji shook his head in exasperation before nodding, Buaji and Garima nodded slightly, everybody pitched in. Everybody but Fateh.
"And.. you don't think that there is anything at all wrong with that? That, that is in the least bit manipulative? Agar Arnav kuch kehna nahin chahta, toh Di aapko nahin lagta ki aapko usse waqt dena chahiye? If Arnav doesn't want to confess, don't you think you should give him time?" Fateh asked, raising a brow at Anjali over his coffee.
"Nahin. No." Anjali said simply, leaning back into the pale cushions of the sofa, and folding her arms under her chest, regarding Fateh with a cool gaze.
"Very good, nor do I. I'm in." Fateh said simply, setting his coffee down and leaning towards the group. So... shuru kare? Should we start?"
______________________________________________________________________Arnav slowly made his way back downstairs after settling Khushi into his room before he stopped dead to listen in on the conversation going on in the sitting room.
"Haan Madhumatiji! Hum Khushi bitya ko apan ghar ki bahooriya hi banana chaat hai. Yes Madhumati, we want Khushi to be our daughter-in-law." Nani was beaming, and patting Buaji's hand as Buaji nodded and preened like a peacock.
What?! They were discussing Khushi's marriage into the family? But without asking her first?
"Hume lagta hai ki voh Khushiji ka bohot achi tarah se khyal rakhenge. I think that he'll take very good care of Khushi." Di was saying. Arnav inwardly smirked, of course he would take good care of Khushi, there was no way he wouldn't.
"Haan aur acha hi hai hello hi bye bye. Yes, and it's a good thing! Saahi baat hai ki agar Khoon- humra matbal hai Payal ki shaadi humre lovely sonwa Akash se ho rahi hai toh Phatee- Khussi...bitya ki shaadi Dhruv se honi chahiye. Badi behen ki shaadi bade bhai se, aur choti behen ki chote bhai se. It makes sense that if Payal marries Akash, Khushi should marry Dhruv. Older sister with the older brother and younger sister with the younger brother." Mami said matter of factly and everyone nodded in agreement and Arnav froze, a sudden chill seeping through his veins.
When that frozen shock became rage, Arnav never realized, but he knew he wanted to murder the brother that he himself had pampered when Dhruv met his eyes from his perch on the sofa, next to a beaming Garima, and smirked before mouthing
"I win."
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