Part 40 Wah...Biriyani...! (LONGEST update)

"What the...kkk" I opened the door and got stuck, seeing Akash standing.

He looked at me tip to toe. I was an artist. I was interested in paintings. I could bring any feelings and expressions on paper. But... I could not name the expression I saw on Akash's face that day. Akash was also in the same state as mine but he could have simply named my facial expression SHOCKING. I was shocked to the hell, seeing him at our doorstep at the wrong time. More than that, I was embarrassed like hell... of course, Akash also. he was the only brother who saw his brother-in-law with his sister's shawl wrapping. And, I was the only husband who stood in front of my brother-in-law with my wife's shawl. Thank God, it was a COTTON shawl. Or else, I could not imagine Akash's condition.

We both stood looking at each other for a few seconds and averted our gaze with embarrassment. I saw Akash trying to control his smile but he utterly failed.

As Khushi expected a big SHOW from me, she was confused, seeing me standing like a statue. She could not understand what was my condition.

"Arnav, what happened? Who's there? Send that IDIOT and come" Khushi shouted from bed.

"Aa....Akash..." I said, looking at Khushi.

Her eyes widened in shock. In no time, she got down from the bed with the bedsheet she was covering and rushed to the washroom.

"I... I will be waiting downstairs" Akash said looking somewhere and left smilingly.

I rolled my eyes high and hit my forehead. It was one hell of a moment! I sat on the bed feeling awkward.

Khushi rushed out within a few minutes. She should just have come out of the washroom, drenching herself for a formality, I supposed. Of course, I would also go to do the same.

"Khushi, Akash is downstairs. You go. I will come" I rushed to the washroom.

I came out within two minutes, wrapping a towel. I saw Khushi still in the room.

"Have not you gone downstairs yet?" I asked Khushi.

She nodded no biting her lip, controlling her smile. I rolled my eyes smiling. In no time, she burst out laughing.

"What a SHOW you have shown to Akash..." She sat on the bed and almost rolled on the bed.

I smiled, keeping my hands on my hip. I walked to the cupboard and put on a dress hurriedly as Akash was waiting for us.

"Go fast, your brother-in-law is waiting for you" she laughed.

"Do you have any idea why he is here?" I asked.

"To get an unattained SHOW" She laughed more.

I scratched my forehead awkwardly. I had to meet my brother-in-law now. I was highly uncomfortable to face him.

"Go go..." Khushi said.

"Won't you come?"

"I will... let's go" She stood up.

"Are not you feeling awkward?" I asked her wondering.

"Of course, I'm indeed awkward but I have to meet him... poor him, he would not have expected such a scene in the DAY time" She laughed again.

Taking a deep breath, I walked downstairs. Khushi followed me. I saw Akash sitting, facing his back to the staircase. I thought he intentionally did that not to make us feel odd. I managed myself and said,

"Hi, Akash..." I tried to be serious but Khushi was so intelligent.

"Akash... please wait... I will just come" she said and walked to the kitchen hurriedly, leaving a poor soul all alone to face her brother. I mentioned myself only as a POOR SOUL.

I looked at Akash seriously, but I could not be serious when I saw Akash smiling with a flushed face. I too smiled.

"I'm sorry, Akash... actually..."

"That's ok... I should have come after calling you, I suppose"

I really appreciated the idea but didn't tell him that.

"Actually, I came to give your car key to you back" He extended the cart key, changing the topic.

"It was not necessary, Akash..."

"No, Arnav. It was me who selected the car for you. I did that wholeheartedly. I was fed up when you returned it back. I changed the GPRS settings to your phone number. Khushi's car's also. From here on, you guys are free"

"Thanks...! How is uncle? Is everything alright at Palace?"

"How would everything be alright when nothing is right? I didn't expect her to be so cheap. You know how blindly I trusted her?"

"You loved her truly and accepted her as your mother. So, there is nothing to be surprised if you trusted her blindly. We all do that with someone in our life"

"Yes, but when we trust a wrong person, everything goes wrong" Akash regretted.

"Leave it, Akash. Be careful with her from here on"

"You too... I feel bad to say so but I have no choice. Please be careful and take care of Khushi. I will do anything to keep you guys safe" Akash said and I was pleased.

At the same time, Khushi came from the kitchen, listening to him.

"Become busy in the kitchen?" Akash asked.

"Yeah, preparing Hyderabadi Biriyani... you should have lunch with us"

"That's ok, Khushi, Payal will be waiting for me"

"Nothing doing. you are going to have lunch with us and that's final" she ordered.

Akash nodded okay smilingly.

"Don't think you can escape from my biryani" she chuckled.

"I know you like cooking but I didn't know to this extent" Akash smiled.

"She is not just interested in cooking... her aim is so big," I said.

Akash looked at me frowning and then Khushi.

"Do you know the famous Chef Alan Smith?"

"The one Khushi likes?"

"Exactly... she taught cooking to the great Alan Smith you know," I said and Khushi was shocked.

She looked at Akash to know his stand.

"She taught to Alan Smith? But how? When? Alan is residing in London. The much I know you didn't take her out of India..."

Akash thought I took Khushi to London.

"I didn't take her to London. Alan came to Delhi for a program. I made Khushi participate in the program"

Akash looked at Khushi.

"Arnav brought him to Delhi putting in a lot of effort because I wanted me to meet him," Khushi said.

Akash wondered.

"Not only that, he made me do a program with Alan"

"What Program?"

"Cooking program"

"I knew you like cooking but program with a Chef..." He was confused.

"I learned it from YouTube," she said.

"Did you learn the dish from YouTube and taught it to Alan Smith?"

"Yes, it was a traditional food. I liked it very much when my mother-in-law cooked for us but she refused to teach me the recipe because my father-in-law didn't want me to cook. He shouted at Arnav when he let me cook. That was when we got to know there was an unwritten agreement between him and HER"

Khushi mentioned Mithra as HER and Akash understood it was Mithra even though there were many HERs in our family.

Khushi looked at the clock.

"Excuse me" She went to the kitchen again.

"May I ask you something, Akash?" I asked.

Akash nodded yes.

"How didn't you guys doubt on Mrs. Gupta?"

"I don't know about my father. About me, I could not think she was pretending. She always looked so genuine. She cares for me like her own son"

"Didn't she bless with kids?"

"She didn't have kids... only for us"

"Is it?"

"I don't know how much it's true" Akash smiled painfully.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard her saying to my dad that, she didn't care about not having a child because she has me and Khushi"

"Oh..."

"I didn't know what was their previous sentence... at that time, her sentence made me weak. So, I didn't think more than that"

I was thoughtful.

Khushi came back from the kitchen.

"Why did you go?" I asked.

"To put the Biriyani on DUM," She said.

"Is it over?"

"Yeah, just fifteen minutes, it will be ready to serve"

"What is the side dish?" Akash asked.

"Nothing... only Biriyani because Arnav didn't ask anything," Khushi said. In fact, she didn't have time to cook any side dishes. How could she do that when I kept her busy on the bed?

"I don't want any side dishes to Hyderabadi Biriyani. It alone will rock with the fried onion..." I said the truth. If it was Hyderabadi Biriyani, I didn't need anything. I liked the mild flavor of saffron. If we take any side dishes, it would dominate the saffron. I didn't like it.

"Yeah... he is right. Its flavor is outstanding. The colorful layers of it would urge us to eat" Khushi said.

"Don't say... I can't wait... already the smell started coming..."

I took a deep breath.

"Wow... it smells great," I said.

Akash smiled and Khushi chuckled.

"Our Mom cooks well... she was so interested in cooking," Akash said.

"Khushi got her trait I suppose"

He nodded yes.

"After her death, I didn't feel her absence because I thought I got someone in her place but, it's a bitter truth, no one can be equal to our mother," Akash said choking.

Khushi clutched his hand gulping.

"I'm sorry, I left you alone," Akash said.

"Leave it..." Khushi said.

"No, Khushi. If I had been cautious, we could have changed many things. She would not have grown gigantically..."

"You would not have gotten Payal and I would not have married to Arnav. Everything happens for a reason, Akash. Just think that way" Khushi said.

Akash nodded yes.

"Harini..." Khushi called.

"Yes, Your Highness..."

"Bring it"

Harini bowed her head and went to the kitchen. I got ready to taste my wife's dexterity.

Harini came to the dining with a few servants. They brought it to the table with silver plates, raita, and fruit custard. They arranged the table.

"You go," Khushi said. She sent the servants.

"Let's go, Akash..."

I came to the dining with Akash. Before Khushi took the cochlear, I took it and was about to penetrate it in the biriyani,

"Nooo" Khushi shouted.

"Whyyyy?" I was shocked.

"You are going to murder my biriyani," She said.

"Are not you going to serve it? Should we just SEE it?"

"No... serving biriyani is an ART... give it to me" She snatched the cochlear from my hand.

She inserted it at the side of the pan, removed the biriyani with all three layers together, and kept it on my plate. It smiled at me colorfully. Yeah, serving biriyani was an ART. Khushi gestured for me to taste.

Actually, I should have treated my guest first but I excused myself. I was not in the condition to think of anything other than the biriyani.

"Khushi, serve it to Akash" Saying I kept the first morsel in my mouth. My eyes automatically closed and I relished the biriyani like anything.

Should say, that Khushi killed me TWICE that day. The first time on the bed with her elegance and the second time with her biriyani.

When I opened my eyes, Khushi and Akash were smiling at me.

"Sorry, I'm out of the world now. Don't expect anything from me" I continued relishing it.

"Akash, I heard many times about RELISHING... but I don't think anyone would RELISH like Arnav does" Khushi laughed.

Akash smiled and ate. I ate my stomach full. I gave a side hug to Khushi and said,

"Your biriyani was so so good, just like you"

Khushi smiled with a blush. Taking my hand from her shoulder, I sighed sadly.

"What happened?" Khushi asked.

"Don't ask me, Khushi. I'm feeling sad"

"Why?"

"Because I have only one stomach... can't I have one more to have more biriyani?"

Both the siblings burst out laughing. Khushi looked at the pan and said,

"Don't worry. You can have it later" she said in between her smile.

But, Akash's next stand wiped her smile.

"No, Khushi... pack it. I will take it to DAD and Payal"

Khushi was shocked. I too didn't expect it.

To be continued...