33 Teasing Aashi
Part 33 Teasing Aashi
Khushi was perplexed. Even Ratna was okay with the proposal. She had thought Ratna would not agree to the marriage because, although Ratna was a good woman, she was conservative. Ratna would not accept someone's daughter as her granddaughter. The interesting thing was that Ratna did not know Arnav had proposed to her; she discovered his interest through his gestures. How understanding she was! Ratna was generous. But what was Khushi going to do now? What would she reply to her? She was confused because she could not reject the proposal since it was Arnav's. What a gem of a person he was! Caring and loving! It was rare to find the friendship of a good man like him, and he wanted to marry her. Khushi had never thought about getting married, but now she couldn't bear missing out on Arnav because she believed he would not judge her for her past. More than that, his love for Aashi seemed pure. She could not decide on the matter, so she decided to talk to Payal about it.
The Next Morning
Aashi stretched her body as she woke up. Ratna smiled at her. Sitting on the bed, she said,
"Good morning, Dadi..." Aashi smiled brightly.
"Good morning, beta," Ratna replied.
"Did I sleep with you last night?"
"Your mom came to take you, but I asked her to leave you here with me."
"Will you tell me stories every day if I sleep here?"
Ratna's face brightened.
"Sure, I will tell you many stories."
"You are so good," Aashi said, circling Ratna's neck and kissing her cheek.
"Go and get freshened up. You have to go to school. If you're late, your mom won't let you stay with me tonight."
"You are right," Aashi said, jumping off the bed and running to her room.
When she entered the room, she saw Khushi lost in thought while wiping her wet hair.
"Mom..." Aashi called out.
Khushi didn't look at her. She scratched her elbow and Khushi looked down.
"Mom, what are you thinking?" Aashi asked.
Khushi shook her head and replied,
"Did you sleep well?"
"So well!" Aashi exclaimed.
"Go and get ready for school. Your ride will arrive soon."
"Oh no... Dad won't drop me off?" Aashi asked, slightly disappointed.
"Aashu, baby, we shouldn't disturb anyone. Arnav is a busy man. He spent time with us because we were new to this city, but now that we have settled down, we should manage independently. It's not easy for him to drop you off at school daily since he has work, too."
"Mmm... Okay..." Aashi replied reluctantly.
Khushi smiled.
"I won't ask him to drop me off at school, but I will ask him to take me to the park and the shopping mall because those aren't part of his regular work," Aashi said as she headed to the washroom.
Khushi sighed.
Getting refreshed, Aashi walked out.
"Where are you going?" her mother asked.
"To drink milk," Aashi replied.
"Wait, I will get it for you."
"No, Mom, I will get it from Dadi," Aashi said before leaving, leaving her mother, feeling helpless.
Aashi walked to the kitchen and saw Ratna preparing sandwiches.
"Are you making sandwiches?" Aashi asked excited.
"Yes, for your lunch box," Ratna replied.
"Wow, I like sandwiches! Can I have one for breakfast too?"
"Sure! But first, drink this milk," Ratna said, handing her a glass of milk.
Aashi drank it quickly since it was not hot, then placed the empty glass on the kitchen counter.
Ratna packed the sandwiches into Aashi's lunch box. Aashi grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it into her mouth. Ratna smiled at her. Suddenly, Aashi extended a piece of bread toward Ratna's mouth. Surprised, Ratna opened her mouth, but instead of feeding her, Aashi pretended to do so and popped it into her own mouth instead. Aashi jumped off the kitchen counter and giggled. Ratna's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"You little trickster! Are you trying to cheat me?" Ratna playfully advanced toward her.
In no time, Aashi rushed out cackling, with Ratna chasing after her. Just then, Arnav walked into the living room and was shocked to see Ratna running. Aashi quickly dashed to him and hid behind him.
"Mom... what do you think you're doing? You're not a sixteen-year-old girl anymore. Remember, you're supposed to be recovering from your knee pain?" Arnav teased.
"I forgot about my pain until you reminded me. This girl made me forget all about it," Ratna replied, still shaking her head.
Arnav looked at Aashi, who was still laughing.
"What did you do to make my mom run like that?" he asked.
Aashi glanced at the piece of bread still in her hand and extended it toward Arnav's mouth. He gladly opened wide, but before he could take it, Aashi quickly popped it into her own mouth instead and giggled the same way she did with Ratna.
"What the...?" Arnav laughed.
"This is what I did!" Aashi said before darting away.
"Damn it... Do you cheat me!"
Arnav began chasing her, smiling. He intentionally let her get a little ahead, not wanting to disappoint her. Spotting her running toward their room, he felt a sudden rush of alertness; he needed to catch her before she entered, or Khushi might misinterpret the situation. He quickened his pace but was too late. Aashi dashed into their room.
In an attempt to catch her, Arnav reached out to pull her into his arms. Fortunatly or unfortunately, Khushi entered just at that moment, and Arnav ended up wrapping his arms around her waist instead. Both of them froze, surprised at the sudden closeness. Khushi stared at him in shock, and Arnav was equally stunned to find her in his embrace. They became lost in each other's eyes.
They snapped back to reality when Aashi burst into laughter and clapped her hands. Embarrassed, they quickly pulled apart.
"Dad, I cheated you twice! You hugged Mom!" Aashi teased, making the atmosphere awkward.
"I'm sorry... actually..."
"Yeah, I didn't notice you were coming," Khushi said, looking down, still flustered.
"Yeah..." Arnav said as he walked out.
Khushi looked at Aashi, making a serious face.
"You're going to be late! Your bus will arrive soon. Come on!"
Khushi went to the cupboard and got her school uniform. She helped Aashi put it on, who was trying to control her smile and keep her mouth shut.
"What?" Khushi glared at her.
"You looked so funny when Dad hugged you," Aashi giggled.
Khushi struggled not to laugh and bit her inner lip to hold it in.
"Shut up and get ready."
Taking her own dress, Khushi went to the washroom, locked the door, and smiled to herself, hitting her head lightly.
Meanwhile, Arnav was leaning against his room door, closing his eyes. He felt a shift in Khushi's demeanor. He wasn't sure how to feel about it, as he needed to tell her the truth before she developed feelings for him. He didn't want her to be hurt. He had to prepare himself and think about what to do next.
......
Aashi came into the living room with her school bag. Ratna placed her lunch bag on the dining table and said,
"Aashi, your sandwich is ready."
"Thank you, Dadi," Aashi replied, taking a bite.
"Mmm... It's fantastic," she relished.
Aashi saw Khushi coming and giggled again, which made Khushi feel embarrassed. She knew exactly why her daughter was laughing but didn't know how to handle her mischievous behavior.
"What's so funny all of a sudden?" Ratna asked, noticing Khushi's discomfort. She anticipated that Aashi would spill the beans.
"Dadi, when Dad chased me, he ended up catching Mom and hugging her instead!" Aashi laughed.
Ratna was momentarily taken aback and looked at Khushi, who was clearly uncomfortable. It took Khushi a few seconds to regain her composure.
"Aashi, your bus will arrive soon. You'll miss it if you don't hurry," Ratna urged, changing the topic as she didn't want to embarrass Khushi.
"No problem, Dadi! Dad will drop me," Aashi said, munching on her sandwich.
"No, you need to eat your breakfast first. Come on," Khushi insisted.
Aashi made a face.
"You should listen to your mom, okay?" Ratna said.
"Mmm..." Aashi nodded reluctantly and finished her sandwich quickly.
Khushi took Aashi with her to send her off to school. When she returned home, she saw Arnav sitting at the dining table.
"Khushi beta, come and have breakfast," Ratna called out.
"I'll be there, just getting ready, Aunty," Khushi replied as she headed back to her room.
"I think she's embarrassed..." Ratna said.
Arnav didn't inquire further, as he had overheard Aashi's teasing.
"Did you hear that?" Ratna asked.
Arnav remained silent. Ratna tried to suppress a smile. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow, and they both smiled, unable to contain themselves.
"I'm leaving. She might feel awkward if I stay here," Arnav said and left.
He waited until Khushi finished her breakfast before coming downstairs. Khushi felt awkward, just as he had guessed.
"Mom, we're leaving. I'll drop Khushi off at the clinic," Arnav announced.
Ratna nodded. Khushi silently followed Arnav, not wanting to spark an argument.
The ride was quiet. Arnav didn't pressure her with conversation. He dropped her off at the clinic and then took a U-turn to head to Mathur Hospital. He wanted to meet Aman because he suspected that Sheetal would also be meeting Aman to confirm his friendship with him. His instincts were correct as Sheetal was indeed headed to Mathur Hospital to see Aman.
To be continued...
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