Sometimes Hate is Enough

Chapter 31

Seven years later

Khushi

Lucknow

"Kya, Jijaji, why are you doing this to me?" I asked as I stared at him, then looked down at the container in his hand with furrowed brows.

"Khushi, you should not take more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day. It's not healthy!" He explained as he placed the container on the further corner of the table, then walked up to me, gently turned me by the shoulders, and slowly pushed me towards the living room, where Bua Ji, Amma, and Babu Ji laughed while looking at us. "And don't call me Jijaji in front of Payal. Please!"

"Why are you doing this to me? What did I do to you that you can't let me eat even one laddo?" I whined loudly as I tried to look over my shoulder at him. But he grabbed me by the top of my head with one hand and stopped me halfway before making me sit on a single sofa. Then he kneeled on the ground in front of me. "And why can't I call you Jijaji when you are my Jijaji?" Then suddenly, a realization hit me, and I gasped loudly with shock. "Jiji rejected you?"

"Payal rejected me?" His eyes widened as he looked at me, then looked over his shoulder at Amma, then back at me.

"What are you saying? Why will Payaliya say no?" Amma asked without looking up as she knitted. Oh, she didn't! Thank you, Devi Maiya!

We both sighed in relief before I looked at Jijaji again and said, "If you let me have a laddo, then I'll pray to Devi Maiya that Jiji says yes to you."

He sighed with a shake of his head before he asked softly, with concern lacing in his eyes and tone, "Do you know there's 307 calories in 1 besan ke laddo, which covers about 15 percent of the total daily calorie requirement of a standard adult diet of 2,000 calories?"

I didn't know that!, I thought as I opened my mouth to argue, but soon closed it and pressed my lips tightly because I had nothing to say that could possibly convince him to let me have one laddo. Hai, Devi Maiya, help me!

So as a last resort, I slipped down from the sofa, copied Jijaji's posture, and then held both of his hands in a death grip between mine as I looked into his eyes before asking, "Do you want me to tell Jiji that you plan to propose to her?"

His face again turned into an image of shock as his mouth fell open while I heard Bua Ji's loud gasp followed by inaudible murmurs, but he still didn't answer and just kept staring at me like I had expected him to.

I dropped his hands and flashed him a big smile before standing up on my feet and saying, "I thought so!"

"I warned you, Nandkishore, not to tell Sanka Devi anything. Now see, she's blackmailing you." I heard Bua Ji from behind as I walked up to the dining table on the left and grabbed a laddo from the container before biting into it. Oh.. it's so good!

"Khushi!" Jijaji called my name quietly, but I bit on my second laddo before turning to the living room and looking at Jijaji, who now sat in my former seat and was looking at me with slightly pressed lips and worried brows.

I opened my mouth, but it was Amma who spoke, "Nikhil Bitwa, don't listen to her nonsense. I know Payaliya will say yes no matter what. You don't worry."

"Yes, I won't say anything to Jiji. Don't worry," I said, pushing the remaining laddo into my mouth as I sat down next to Babu Ji on the sofa. "I also want to see you two getting married and growing old together with my 3-4 nieces and nephews."