There was the only one way to confirm her suspicions. Khushi would keep the cat with her until or unless Arnav showed up. If he didn't show up then Khushi would know.
She knew something was wrong. She also knew it was really stupid to think there was this weird connection between Arnav and the cat.
After all...
Not everything shown from the outside was the same on the inside.
******************************************
Khushi was getting suspicious. Arnav didn't need to read her mind to figure it out. It was written all over her face.
He had to distract her.
Arnav stood up and took the glass of milk from her "But since you have brought it, especially for me, how can I possibly refuse you"
Khushi gave him a hesitant smile and watched as he drank it in quick large gulps. He gave the glass back to her. She went back to the kitchen.
The second she disappeared, Arnav slammed his hand over his mouth and ran to the nearest window to throw up. He swore, trying to get rid of the foul taste in his mouth. How long had it been since he actually had normal human food? A hundred years? A thousand? Probably more. But damn. Had it always tasted this horrible? Had he really been that oblivious?
"Arnav?" came Khushi's voice "Are you alright?"
Arnav took a deep breath and put on a calm expression on his face. He turned towards her and gave her a small smile "Of course. Just taking in some fresh air"
Khushi smiled and stood next to him, looking outside where the sun had already set "Arnav? Do you always have to work so late? It sometimes gets really lonely without you"
He put an arm around her and pulled her closer "I'm sorry Khushi. Truly I am but there's nothing I can do about it. I own the company. I am just too busy. Business slows down in the winter so I'll be able to stay home more often during then. I come home as soon as I can" he tipped her chin towards him "After all now I have a beautiful wife to get to"
He didn't get a desired reaction such as her blushing. She thought for a minute and smiled "How about you give me the address of your company? I can bring you lunch and we can eat together. That way we can spend more time together"
Arnav tried hard not to show his worry "I'm usually busy Khushi. I'm often stuck in meetings. Business is demanding"
"Oh" Khushi said, looking crestfallen.
"Hey" he said cupping her cheek with his right hand "We always have the night. No matter how busy I am, the night will always be ours"
Khushi smiled, a small blush adorning her cheeks. She looked out the window and then back at him "Arnav? Are we going somewhere tonight?"
He bent down and nuzzled against her neck "Oh? I was rather hoping we'd stay inside, preferably in the bedroom"
"Arnav!" Khushi blushed bright red and swatted his hand away from her shoulder "I want to go outside. We're in the city!" she said excited.
He sighed "Alright. Hmm what about a casino?"
"I've never been there before" she told him.
Arnav chuckled "Come on. It'll be fun"
******************************************
"Wow" Khushi breathed as she took in the grand casino. It was beautiful.
Small and large chandeliers adorned the ceiling. White and black tiles zig-zagged on the floor. Creative and carefully picked art work hung on the walls. Everything looked grand. It was also very packed.
Various machines were set up on the sides. There were people playing cards and winning money. A large pool table was placed in the corner where people were already playing and hooting.
Khushi tugged Arnav's sleeve "What do we do here?"
Arnav chuckled "We play of course. Come" he led her to the side machines and made her sit on the stool "These are called slot machines" he pulled out a quarter "To play we put a coin into the machine" he gestured to the handle "And then you pull this. This machine is based on luck. If you have lots of it you win big money but if you don't have a lot of luck then you should know when to give up" He gave her the coin "You play"
Khushi slipped the coin into the machine and pulled the handle. The discs quickly began moving like a blur. She waited until it slowed down before it said Jackpot.
A series of coins began falling out.
Khushi frowned and looked at Arnav "I think it's broken"
Arnav laughed "No my darling. You have just won jackpot which means all these coins are yours to keep"
"Oh" Khushi said before grinning "Yay! I won!"
She won the next game and the game after that and so on.
Arnav couldn't help smile when he saw her get so excited and happy. She looked so beautiful. So innocent. Why did he want to keep her in the house and lock her in there so she never saw any horrors of the real world?
Why was he so worried that once she were to find out the truth about him, she'd disappear from his life forever?
An uneasy feeling crawled up Arnav's skin. Someone was watching him. He looked around scanning through the crowd and that's when he saw Rohit. Anger filled Arnav's veins. How dare he follow them here? What the hell was he up to now?
He glanced at Khushi who was busy slipping in another coin into the machine "I'll be right back. Stay here" he told her.
Before she could ask anything he disappeared.
******************************************
Out of nowhere Arnav grabbed Rohit's shoulder and pushed him to the nearest wall "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
Rohit chuckled unfazed "Last time I checked it was still a free country"
"You damn well know what I mean" Arnav growled "Why are you following me?"
"Who said anything about following you? I'm following your wife"
"You bas***d!" Arnav grabbed his neck tightly.
"Me?" he laughed "At least I'm not the one keeping a woman in the dark and feeding off her"
That hit a weak spot. Had it been that obvious? "What do you want?" Arnav said firmly letting go of him.
Rohit pushed his collar down neatly "Oh many things but your wife seems to be on the top of the list" he smirked.
"I'll kill you" Arnav said dangerously, taking a step towards him.
"Whatever" Rohit rolled his eyes "But you know what? Your wife is actually second on my list. What I really want is to ruin you" his smirk grew "I saw the way you looked at her. She's special to you. So special that you didn't even touch another human or fed off them" he tilted his head "But I do admire your gall. Bringing her to an all you can eat buffet at the vampire's club huh? You might as well have been flinging a steak back and forth in front of a dog"
Arnav took a step closer "She's under my protection and you know very well what will happen if anybody harms what's mine"
"What you really mean is that you're addicted to her now. Her blood is like a drug and you're having difficulty letting go"
Arnav turned around trying to conceal the guilty look on his face "Whatever it is is my personal business. You have no right to comment"
Rohit shrugged "Alright but I will see you later"
With that he walked out of the casino.
******************************************
When Arnav came back to Khushi, she was beyond happy. She showed him the numerous coins "Look Arnav! I won all these" she said excitedly "I didn't lose even once"
Arnav gave a half hearted smile "That's great but it's getting late now Khushi. Time to go"
She pouted but didn't object.
Arnav drove them home. Khushi ran up to their room to get ready for bed. Arnav, on the other hand couldn't stop thinking over Rohit's words.
What you really mean is that you're addicted to her now. Her blood is like a drug and you're having difficulty letting go
Arnav knew Rohit was right. He was getting addicted to Khushi's blood. In fact he hadn't fed from another for many weeks. Ever since she had arrived.
"Arnav" he heard Khushi call out for him "Come up"
He didn't reply but did as she requested.
When he reached their bedroom,there she was. In a vision of crimson red.
Arnav swallowed. This did not help his appetite in any way. In fact it just made it worse. She looked so luring with the crimson night gown ending slightly below her knees. And the fact that it was his favorite color and the color of his drink...
She, shyly, looked at him and raised her arms. As if in a trance Arnav welcomed himself in her embrace and took her to bed.
After hours of passionate love making, when Arnav was sure Khushi had fallen asleep he tried to control himself. He really did but it was as if his eyes were stuck to her bare neck.
What you really mean is that you're addicted to her now. Her blood is like a drug and you're having difficulty letting go
Rohit's words rang in Arnav's head but that didn't help. He groaned and swooped down to her neck. He softly kissed it "I'm sorry" he whispered "I'm so sorry" before baring out his fangs and sinking them in her soft skin.
******************************************
When Khushi woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was look for Arnav. The cat of course. It had become like a routine now. Arnav, the cat, in the morning and Arnav, her husband, at night.
However instead of finding the cat next to her on the pillow like usual, Khushi found him sleeping on her feet.
She smiled "Good morning Arnav" she said.
The cat didn't respond and continued to sleep. Khushi sat up and picked up the cat. He opened his eyes and looked at her sleepily. He meowed at her before struggling to get back on his feet. Khushi chuckled "Been out long last night huh?"
The cat jumped out from her hands and trotted out of the room. Khushi frowned "Attitude so early in the morning? Usually it's just in the garden" she mumbled before getting up and getting ready.
When Khushi had finished her shower, and went down to the kitchen, Arnav was already there. She gave him a quick pat on the head before toasting some bread. Arnav jumped up on the table and sat down, his tail swishing back and forth. Khushi slashed some jam on the bread and placed it in front of him, settling for cereal for herself.
Arnav meowed rather loudly. Khushi couldn't help wonder why his meow felt so...bland.Toneless. She looked at the cat confused. Arnav walked to where she was sitting and took a drink of her cereal milk.
Khushi frowned "I thought you didn't like milk"
The cat continued to drink her milk as if she hadn't spoken. When Khushi raised her hand to pet him like she usually did, he looked at her hand cautiously and leaned back. She frowned. Arnav never did that before. He liked her touch and often even walked around her in circles until she finally petted him.
"What's wrong Arnav?" she asked concerned.
Arnav only looked at her but didn't respond like he usually did. Khushi raised her hand again to touch him but it seemed as if he had enough. He jumped off the table and scurried off.
Maybe he was in a bad mood...
Khushi tried not to let Arnav's ignorance hurt her but really it did. She had grown so attached to him and she thought perhaps he felt just as attached. She sighed. Maybe he'll come around.
When it was 6: 15 PM Khushi had kept a strong grip on the cat despite it's struggles and loud meows. She really didn't want to hurt him but she had to know. Were her suspicions correct? Or was she imagining it?
That's when she heard the door open. Khushi jumped to her feet,loosening her hands letting the cat escape. Arnav walked in. He smiled at her. Khushi looked at him and then at the cat who had went to sit next to his feet, quietly licking his paw and glaring at her.
A huge smile spread on Khushi's face. She ran and jumped in Arnav's arms. He caught her easily. She heard him chuckle "Missed me?"
She grinned "Only a lot" she clutched him tighter.
Maybe she really was being stupid. It was pure coincidence that Arnav, the cat left whenever Arnav, her husband appeared. Maybe it was a protective sort of thing. The cat protects her during the day, and her husband protects her during the night. Oh how that sounded so perfect. So sweet and so adorable.
"So" he whispered in her ear "Shall I consider that you want to stay in the cottage all night since you're refusing to separate from me?"
Khushi blushed and let go of him.She looked up at him expectantly "You have plans for us?"
"Well since it is night most places are closed but that doesn't mean I can't show you where they are" he said "You can go during the day"
And so the couple went out where Arnav showed her places such as the library, community centres, parks, etc.
******************************************
A few days later, the couple returned to the castle.
The next morning, Khushi got up excitedly and got ready quickly. She really wanted to go visit that library Arnav had shown her in the village. She had always loved reading her fiction fantasy romance novels. Those had always transported her to a new world making her believe she was the heroine and there was her hero.
But now...
Khushi smiled biting her lip. Now she can imagine Arnav as her hero and lead a whole new story with him.
Khushi raced down to the library and made a new library card for herself. She wondered if she should get a card made for Arnav too. He didn't seem like the reading type but then again when she had first met him he didn't seem like the romance type either and now.. So she got a card made for him too.
The library seemed more bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. That just made it a whole lot better.There were countless books and Khushi couldn't wait to begin browsing.
She went to the fantasy and romance section and immediately found some amazing books. One book fell to her feet when she turned around. She picked it up "Immortal Betrayal" she read out loud. She turned to the back where the story was written. "Maya is an innocent village girl who loves each and every aspect of life. She believes everything happens for a reason and always embraces it" Ironically that was just a close description of Khushi herself "However when she enters an unknown castle, little does she know that she has entered the lair of an unfathomable beast who will do anything to satisfy his desires and his thirst-"
"Sounds a lot like a dear friend of mine"
Khushi turned around and frowned when she saw a man who looked strangely familiar "Do I know you?" she asked.
He chuckled "I guess it's reasonable you'd forget me. I'm Rohit, the guy from the bar"
Memory hit her and she recognized him. She narrowed her eyes at him "What are you doing here?" she asked with a deeper frown.
"Oh just here and there but I thought to give you a visit" he replied.
"Me?" she squeaked confused.
He laughed and took the book from her "Oddly enough this book does resemble your life pretty well" he looked at it as if interested "You are Maya and Arnav is the unfathomable beast"
"Watch your tongue" Khushi said sharply pointing her finger at him.
Rohit waved it away "You shouldn't have so much confidence over him. He isn't worth it" he returned the book back to her "Why don't you check out what your husband truly is tonight" he suggested "Arnav will be at a bar just on the outskirts of the town, the perfect place for him to...hunt"
Khushi threw the book at him "Just shut up. You can't turn me against my husband no matter what you say" she said before turning on her heel and leaving.
Rohit frowned at her retreating back. Damn. That Arnav really did have that chit completely relied on him.Rohit would say Arnav had her tied around his finger but it was kind of like the opposite.
A scowl touched Rohit's face "I'll turn you against him" he promised "I'll have you lean against me and break that Arnav's ego even if it's the last thing I do"
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