Chapter Three

The women were all having fun as they got their mehendi done. All of a sudden a person came in, covering their face. Buaji mentioned NK and how he was single and cute. At that minute, the person screamed, revealing NK. Akash came in, their plan foiled. The Raizada's got mad at him, Nani especially.

"Who came up with this idea," Nani asked.

"Voh, Naniji, it's was Akash!"

Akash gave him a threatening look.

"I-I-I m-mu-mean N-Na-Nanav did!"

"Ka," Nani exclaimed. "Chote ne?"

"Chote ne kaha," Anjali asked.

Everyone got confused at that moment. Especially Khushi. She couldn't believe how Arnav's behavior had changed so much.

"Who's initial should I put," the mehendi wale asked.

"Arnavji ka?"

Khushi couldn't help but wonder at that point. What happened to the Arnav that she had met? He wasn't the Arnav who's arms she had fallen into! Then why all of a sudden... Could he really be serious about marrying her?

"Jao Chote ko le aiye," Nani said.

Khushi hiccuped. Arnav? Here? Hai DM!

NK went up and appeared back within a few minutes. "Di! Di!"

Anjali looked up.

"Di, Nanav isn't here - I can't find him."

"Kya?"

Khushi sighed. Thank goodness, she said in her head, that laad governor isn't here. Finally he understood, and she thanked DM.

Hours passed yet no sign of Arnav. Anjali was starting to worry and Khushi saw her at the poolside.

"Anjaliji, what's wrong?"

"I've been calling Chote for a long time! He still hasn't picked up! It says he's unreachable! I called the office, and he's not even there!"

"Don't worry Anjaliji, he'll come soon."

Anjali nodded and left.

Khushi wondered to herself. "Where could have Arnavji gone? He's not picking up his phone, nor is he at the office! Then where could he have gone?"

And then it hit her.

"Sometimes I even pray to DM that you wouldn't come in front of my face. Yet still..."

Khushi started to worry. She wasn't caring about the commotion going on downstairs between Mami and her sister because right now, Arnav missing was the most important thing to her at the moment.

Khushi looked at her phone and thought of calling him. "But if I call," she thought out loud, "what will I say? What the?!"

She paced back and forth, dialing his number. But feeling hesitant, she decided to not to, pressing a random button on her phone.

"Wait a minute, why should I? I was the one who said I don't want to see his face. So why am I worrying? ...but I didn't ask him to disappear. Hai DM! Please do something!"

She paced back and forth again and then stopped.

"Arnavji, please come back... I'm sorry."

Khushi was pressing onto her phone, holding in her emotions. She looked at her phone and was about to call when she felt a slight wind. She knew that feeling well, but wasn't exactly sure. She slowly turned and her eyes widened as she looked away at Arnav.

Chapter Two

Arnav's antics were confusing Khushi more and more. After he had left, Khushi kept thinking about what had been happening between them. When she had found out that Arnav had agreed to marrying Lavanya, it had made her heart cave in. Then the engagement was called off and as much as she felt bad for Lavanya, deep down she was happy because Arnav was single. Her relationship with Shyam breaking off made things even better to her, although she never admitted it.

And now today, as her sister was about to get married to his brother, Arnav was now asking her to marry him. She didn't know what to decide. Marrying him would mean her dream come true, although she would never admit to it. On the other hand, denying him meant... she didn't even want to think about it.

The next morning, everyone got all excited, Khushi's Amma saying to hurry and that they had to leave and Buaji was on Khushi's tail.

"Aye Sanka Devi! Hai re nand kisore! Aye Khushi-"

"Oof ho Buaji! Hum aagaye hain-"

"Kahe itna der lagadi?"

"Ab aap der lagadenge."

"Ka?!"

Khushi laughed and Buaji lightly hit her head. The women headed to Raizada mansion and Khushi went in last, holding all the stuff and a box of jalebis. Anxious about on whether or not Arnav was here, Khushi cautiously stepped in.

"Devi Maiya, raksha karna. Not that I'm scared of him or anything," she muttered to herself. "I just don't wanna see him."

She felt a slight wind and froze. She was just at the door and her heart thumped.

Dhak-dhak! Dhak-dhak!

She ignored it and stepped in, only to collide with the man himself that she wanted to avoid. Khushi looked side to side, while Arnav looked at her.

"Hi," he simply said.

Khushi was in shock. Arnav Singh Raizada said hi? That too to me?! "N-namaste," she slightly smiled.

Arnav's gaze poured on her and Khushi stepped in, going around Arnav, keeping as much distance as possible. She stepped in by only a few steps when Arnav called her.

"Khushi?"

Dhak-dhak! Dhak-dhak!

Khushi froze. Please don't ask about the bet. Please, please don't!

Arnav walked up to her and saw the affects he had on her. She wasn't meeting his eyes, looking everywhere else, but at him. Her chest was heaving, her breathing paced up. It gave him a feeling of happiness on the inside.

"Khushi?"

She looked up at him.

"I hope... you remember the bet."

Khushi gulped and looked away.

"And I hope... that you've come up with your answer."

Khushi didn't say anything.

"Think about it Khushi. Had I not helped you yesterday, you could have won-"

"And I wish you hadn't." She looked away. "Sometimes I even pray to DM that you wouldn't come in front of my face. Yet still..."

She didn't bother to say anything else and walked away. She stood still for a moment and looked back at him and before her heart started acting up, she quickly went to join the other women.

Chapter One

His words were still ringing in her mind. She sat at her table, munching away on jalebis. Payal came into the room and looked at her sister, and tapped her shoulder.

"Khushi? Khushi? Tum tik ho na?"

Khushi bit into her jalebi.

Payal sighed. "Khushi it's okay! So what if we didn't win at the Sangeet? It's okay."

Khushi stood up that moment. "Nai Jiji," she pouted. "It's not okay!" She bit her jalebi. "If we had won then that beautiful idol would be right here in front of me." She bit her nail and mumbled "and nor would he ever ask me to marry him."

"Tumne kuch kaha," Payal asked.

Khushi moved her hand away and shook her head. Both got ready for bed and turned off the lights and laid there.

"Jiji," Khushi said.

"Hmm Khushi."

"Can you tell me something?"

"Kya Khushi?"

"How did you know you loved Jeejaji?"

"Khushi!"

"Batao na!"

"Well... I just did. And the whole suicide thing made my heart go wild that instant."

"Oh..."

"Why Khushi?"

"Just asking..."

"Well its not the same as yours." She laughed. "No stars falling, that's for sure."

Khushi remembered back to that day when she thought stars were falling and she was catching them in her dupatta. She remembered how Arnav was throwing them up and she kept catching them, until he snapped her out of her reverie and she felt kind of stupid. He managed to do that to her; he managed to make her feel funny. He managed to make her heart race up and go "dhak-dhak, dhak-dhak!"

Dhak-dhak! Dhak-Dhak!

Her heart was doing it now and she shut her eyes. She held onto it until it stopped and she got aggravated. "Ji-"

She turned and saw that Payal was already asleep. Khushi got even more irritated and got up to make more jalebis.

Lost in thought, Khushi made her jalebis, her hands already mastered of this art. She couldn't help but wonder why Arnav would ask of such a thing.

*~*

"Marry me, Khushi Kumari Gupta."

Khushi pushed him away and gaped at him. Arnav looked really serious, yet loving at the same time.

"W-why would you... a-ask me of su-such a thing?"

"You said you'd do anything. Don't tell me that the great Khushi Kumari Gupta is backing away."

Khushi looked away. "You have to give me some time," she said after thinking about it.

"Why?"

"Arnavji, this about the matter of my future!"

"True, but this is the matter of the bet."

Khushi still looked away.

"Tell you what - I'll give you the night. Tomorrow at the mehendi, you'll tell me. Oh yeah, and your two options: say you'll marry me and I'll tell everyone, or..."

"Or?" She looked up at him.

"Or I'll do something so bad, you'll regret saying no to me."

The gleam in his eyes had disappeared and the infamous Arnav Singh Raizada appeared. Khushi looked away and nodded.

*~*

Khushi thought about her being his wife, the same thought she had played days ago, going through her head and how he had said she looked like an auto. That brought her back to reality and she looked at all the jalebis that she had made and were on the tray.

Her eyes widened instantly. All of them said Arnav and she couldn't believe what she had done. This is what her instincts now did: make Arnav jalebis.

Khushi cooled them down and ate them all down and then looked at the ones being made. Those said Arnav as well and she freaked out. "Hai Devi Maiya, yeh maine kya kiya," she squeaked.

She placed them on the tray and just as she was about to dig in, there was a knock at the door. She took the tray and muttered to herself. "First these jalebis, now some psycho at the door."

She opened the door and her eyes widened again. It was him, the real Arnav, standing before her. She gulped and stood frozen while Arnav smirked his sexy smirk. He noticed the tray and looked at the jalebis. Khushi was too busy panicking, not realizing that he was looking at it.

"So, you are remembering me."

Khushi scrunched her eyebrows.

"Jalebis... that too in my name?"

Khushi's eyes widened even more and he looked at the tray. She quickly ate them and Arnav looked at her humorlessly.

"Jalebis," she asked, munching, "what jalebis?"

Arnav smirked and leaned in, but Khushi placed the tray in between.

Arnav looked at it and then at her, her cheeks stuffed with Jalebis. "Won't you allow your future husband close to you," he smirked.

Khushi stared into his eyes.

"I hope you're thinking wisely Khushi. You wouldn't want bad faith, would you?"

Khushi gulped.

"And I know you're a very sanskari type, so if a man were to..."

Khushi understood his point. "You wouldn't."

"You know I'll do anything."

Khushi swallowed down the last bits of jalebis.

Arnav smirked. "See you tomorrow future Mrs. Raizada." 

He turned to leave, when Khushi spoke.

"Is that why you came?"

Arnav looked back at her to see her curious doe-like eyes. He went back to her and went through his pocket and took out her earring. Khushi remembered how he gestured to them and she slightly blushed. She slowly crept her hand out to take them and Arnav placed it in her hand. She brought her hand back in and looked away.

"Good night Khushi," he said softly.

"Good night Arnavji," she slightly smiled.

And Arnav left.

Prologue

"Kuch bhi karogi, right?"

"Kuch bhi."

Khushi Kumari Gupta was now regretting those words. She regretted the bet and now here she was, the bet about to take place.

Hai Devi Maiya, she said in her head, raksha karna.

In came the monster - the cunning monster with such a sexy form which Khushi had never realized and still didn't. He approached her and stood inches away from her.

Khushi looked away. "What do you want?"

He crossed his arms. "Khushi. Kumari. Gupta. ... the girl who said she doesn't understand the meaning of loss."

Khushi looked side to side.

"And now here she is, defeated."

She remained silent.

"I told you Khushi Kumari Gupta, Arnav Singh Raizada never losses."

Khushi got irritated and looked up at him. "Fine! You won the bet! Now what do you want me to do?!"

Arnav simply looked at her.

"Well?!"

He continued looking at her.

"Hello?" She waved in his face.

A look appeared on his face, his sexy signature smirk forming.

Khushi got nervous. "A-a-aap mujhe... a-a-aise k-kya dekh-"

Arnav neared in and Khushi's eyes widened. She stepped back as he stepped forward, until there was no more space for her to move back. Khushi leaned against the wall and she turned away, nervous from the way he was looking at her.

"Aap mujhe-"

"Khushi," he said huskily.

The way he said her name made Khushi feel something she hadn't ever felt before. She looked up at him, searching his eyes for what he could be up to.

"You said you'd do anything right," he said, saying it in that same tone.

Khushi looked down and nodded, not because she was regretting her words, but because how Arnav was speaking to her and making her nervous.

"Anything," Arnav asked again.

"Kuch bhi," she replied, almost in a whisper.

Arnav wasn't saying anything so she looked up at him - there was a gleam in his eyes she had never seen before.

"Then marry me," he simply said.

Her eyes widened and she blinked once.

"Marry me, Khushi Kumari Gupta."