Part 5

Arjun Ranawat was angry, to say the least. To think that someone who shares the blood running in his veins could go to any extent for their wish-fulfilment was beyond a disappointment for him. Undoubtedly, he was a perfectionist and wanted everything perfect, be it at home or work but it did not mean that he would put someone's life on stake to achieve that perfection. His logic screamed its frustration as it was unable to unravel the mystery of his family's actions.

"Golu, open the door. We are ready to face your anger but don't give up on your food," said Namita's voice from the other side of the door. He had shut himself inside, knowing that he would only vent his pent-up frustration if he faces anyone.

"Di, leave me. Please," he requested, burying his head into his palms, trying to ease his headache.

"If you love me, you will open the door, Golu. The doctor had strictly advised you to not go without eating and to not take too much stress. Please open the door. For me?" she pleaded with the most loving voice possible.

Arjun knew that he had melted with Namita's words. Sometimes he wondered how his heart could be so crazy that two minutes of convincing from his family could make him forget everything but not even two days are sufficient to convince him on the professional front. Love truly was weird, he thought as he sighed and got up to open the door.

"That's like my little brother!" chirped Namita as she walked into Arjun's room and placed the plate on the table. While ensuring that her brother had his lunch, Namita was brought to Arjun's door with another motive on her mind. She turned to her brother, standing ever so nonchalantly and waiting for her to initiate the talk. She knew that Arjun was smart enough to realize that she wanted to discuss it with him as well.

"I am sorry if our words hurt you, Golu. I just want you to think through this with our perspective as well. We were only trying to take the best way possible to minimize the risk," she said, her eyes showing her sincere intentions.

Although he was prepared for the discussion, Namita's justification just riled him further. In a situation where no amount of justification would be enough, it infuriated him that his sister was inflexible about convincing him that they were right.

"This is illogical, Di! If the fact that she is a virgin matters so much, then let me tell you that there are many ways for one to break a hymen, which I am sure Jyotsna would agree to," Arjun lashed.

"It's not just about that, Golu. It's about hormones as well. During pregnancy, hormones are in an overdrive and the euphoric feeling during that time can be stimulated, at least by a fraction, through lovemaking. And if the future mother is not exposed to the antigens of the father before birth, there are chances that a rejection reaction takes place and that can be fatal for both the child and the mother. The risk is just heightened by the fact that Jyotsna is a virgin because her body never experienced any other antigen other than her own. Try to understand, Golu," said Namita, putting her expertise as a genetic engineer into use.

"All this for fulfilling your wish, Di? Don't you realize you are playing with lives here? Of course, wish-fulfilment is most important, right? After all, you both did so much for me, and I have to return the favour by doing this. Just a basic expectation, isn’t it? Go ahead, do it," he spat, not attempt to hide his fury.

"Golu," Namita tried to speak but it was of no avail.

"Di, please! Leave. Me. Alone! You are getting what you wanted right? Now at least let me get the peace I want," lambasted Arjun, turning his face away from her as fury marred his features. Realizing that staying there would be futile, Namita silently moved out of his room while closing the door behind her.

"What have I got myself into?" questioned Arjun himself as he ran his fingers into his hair and shut his eyes to compose himself.

___________________________________

Khanna House,

"Namaste Namita Ji. How are you?" greeted Varun, looking around him to see if anyone could hear him speak to Namita.

"I am fine, thank you. I just called to inform you of some changes we had to make after the consultation with the gynaecologist, Varun. I am sure, Jyotsna must have briefed you about the consultation, didn't she?" asked Namita, her voice revealing no emotions.

A wave of panic took over Varun. He had not spoken to Jyotsna yet as she reported to her office again to compensate for the lost time and wondered if the preliminary examination results were negative.

"I am afraid, I don't know what happened during the consultation, Namita Ji. Jyotsna reported to her office and I did not have a chance to speak to her. Did the doctor mention any complications?" he questioned as he thought of the various possible complications.

"Unfortunately, yes. The doctor said that the fact that Jyotsna is a virgin could lead to complications for both her and the unborn in the future. But the issue can be resolved. The solution is zeroed down to Jyotsna spending a night with Golu. Would she be okay with it?" Namita's voice finally showed her fear of rejection and her nervousness and a streak of guilt which could be heard but not be distinguished.

Varun was shocked, to say the least. If he knew Jyotsna at all, it would not be rocket science to realize that she would never accept it.

"Sleep with him? But why?" he demanded. He might love money more than his sister, but it did not mean that he did not love her at all. After all, no brother would want his sister to be exploited by someone in a manner described by Namita.

"The doctor is worried that Jyotsna's body would not be able to handle pregnancy and being a genetic engineer, I know that, if she is not exposed to Golu's antigens, it could cause a major issue in the future. Are you understanding, Varun?" Namita was intent on knowing the answer as swiftly

as possible and was praying that the answer would be positive.

"I am, Namita Ji. I am afraid I cannot give you an answer at this moment. I need to speak to Jyotsna about it and I am uncertain about her answer. I will try to convince her and get back to you with her answer," he answered, thinking about Jyotsna and her reaction to the proposition.

"Fine, Varun. Bye," she said as she hung up the call without waiting for his reply and Varun was in a mood to not care about it.

Just then Jyotsna walked through the gate, completing her work.

Although the manager said that working overtime for the time she went out was not necessary, Jyotsna insisted that she would compensate for the time she took out.

"Jyotsna," Varun uttered as he looked at her walking. Her form stiffened up as her brain started forming retorts to answer her brother.

"Namita Ji had called. She spoke to the doctor apparently, who said that you might have complications in the future due to the fact of you being a virgin. And," he paused, unable to reveal the proposal of Ranawats.

"And?" she questioned, her intuition giving her the wrong signal. Being a virgin could not lead to serious complications, could it?

Taking a deep breath, Varun let it all out, "They feel that the only solution to this is that you spend a night with Arjun Ranawat."

The words which crashed her world yet again were spoken yet again.