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FYI.
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** Note: This is strictly for 18 + readers.
Valley of Flowers ' Chapter 15
KHUSHI woke up with a start, her heart
pounding wildly even as her brain registered the loud noise. Someone was at the
door!As her eyes accustomed itself to the darkness, her heart skipped a beat
when she realized she was in Arnav's bed. She looked on her right to see that the
other side of the bed was unoccupied. The beside clock showed 5'o clock. As the
knocking got urgent she got swung herself off the bed.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of herself
in the mirror and on an impulse she quickly took off her jewellery, before she
went up to the door and opened it.
'Khushi!' Anjali said in a rush, 'wake
Arnav. We have to get to the hospital right away. It's dad. He is in ICU.'
She wasn't sure if Arnav had returned
home last night. She would have to stall for time.'What happened Di?' she said
her tone laced with concern.
'Dr Manav tells me that his blood
pressure has shot up really high all of a sudden. Is Arnav ----?'
'Rani Sahiba,' Shyam interrupted her. 'I
saw saale saab leaving late in the night yesterday. I don't think he is back. I
don't see his car.'
Khushi felt a sudden urge to defend him. 'He'.
He has gone to the office.'
'At that time of the night?' Shyam raised
his eyebrows.
'He needed some ' some important
documents that he kept there.'
Anjali immediately dialled his number only
to hear it ringing from somewhere in the room. 'He hasn't taken his phone with
him!' Anjali said anxiously.'I will try the office number.'
'Rani Sahiba,' Shyam said holding her arm,
'Have you thought that saale saab might not want to come?'
'He has to come Shyam!' tears began to
flow down her cheeks. 'He is our father.'
'Don't you remember how he behaved when
you tried to speak to him last time?' Shyam reminded her. 'We have been taking
care of babuji till now and will continue to do so. Why do you want to force
him?'
'Di,' Khushi intervened, placing a
comforting hand on her shoulder. 'Why don't you go ahead with Shyamji? I will
call the office.'
'I don't think he will come Khushi.'
Anjali said in a low voice.
'He will, Di,' Khushi said taking Anjali
in her arms, 'I promise.'
As Shyam went ahead toward the car, he
smirked thinking how nave Khushi was in thinking she can get that arrogant b@#$%^
to the hospital. God he hated him for landing up at the last moment and
spoiling his best laid plans for Khushi.
When the courier had arrived at the
Raizada House from The Oberoi, he had called the hotel back impersonating Arnav
and thanked them for the package. The manager had immediately told him that
they had safely kept the jacket that his lady friend had left behind,
apologizing for the delay in sending it. He had requested them to patronize
their hotel the next time they were in town.
Luckily he had also been aware of
Khushi's dance programme in Agra and that she hadn't returned that night
because of fog. He had put two and two to together. He knew that Khushi had not
slept with Arnav. She was purity personified. But it was important to malign
her character in order to protect her. There was no other way.He had
immediately called NK's mother in Australia and given her that information.
How could he let Khushi marry NK? He didn't deserve
someone as exquisite a Khushi in his life.
But he had never imagined that Arnav
would land up just in time and act as a knight in shining armour. Khushi had
rightly refused to marry him. But her obnoxious parents had probably
emotionally blackmailed her into this marriage, hoping to wash their hands off
their foster daughter.
Nothing was lost though. He could still
save Khushi. But before that this new crisis had to be dealt withhe thought
smiling reassuringly at Anjali as he took the wheel.
Khushi paced about the room restlessly.
She had bravely given her word to Anjali that she would bring Arnav to the
hospital and she didn't even know where he was. How was she supposed to contact
him when he had left his phone behind in the room? Would he be at Lavanya's,
she wondered in dread. It was way too early in the morning. What would she tell
her if she picked up the phone? Excuse me
Lavanya, would you mind letting me know if my husband is with you on which is
supposedly our wedding night?
Suddenly she had an epiphany of where she
might find Arnav.She quickly showered and changed into a simple blue suit and
went down stairs. Luckily, she found the keys to the Honda City automatic kept in
the small ornate wooden box on the console table in the foyer.
There were few people on the streets at
this hour and Khushi stepped down on the accelerator hoping her hunch was
right.
As she pulled up at the gates of the farm
house an hour later, she was relieved to findArnav's car parked there. As she
walked up the driveway her eyes inevitably were drawn toward the lovely gardensand
she thought of the first time Arnav had shown them to her on the night of the
bachelor party''.
She had
just seen Akash and Payal in bed with each other, oblivious of their
spectators. Before Khushi could let out a squeak Arnav covered her mouth with
his hand, closing the door with his free hand.
'I want to
show you something,' he had whispered into her ears, 'come with me.' He took
her hand in his and took her downstairs and out into the garden.
They walked in silence for several
minutes,along a path lined by tall and dense trees, until they had reached a
clearing with a beautiful fountain in the centre. There were beautiful
flowering plants, in various colours and hues all around and her heart leapt
with joy at the sheer beauty of nature.
'Oh my
God, Arnav this is just beautiful!' she exclaimed, looking around her in awe.
'My mom,
Di and I planted these,' he said his voice low. 'It was my tenth birthday and I
was feeling very low as I didn't have any friends to invite for my birthday.
Mom brought me and Di here and we planted some of these. After that, we came
back here every year until I was sixteen.
Khushi's
heart went out the lonely lost boy and wished she was there to hug him and tell
him everything would be alright.
'This is
the place I come to when I am restless or when I need to think. It gives me peace.'
She went up to the house and knocked on
the door. How had Arnav managed to get in? Hadn't Nanheji told her that Naniji
had sold the farm house?
'Who is it?' Arnav opened the door, his
mouth opened in a yawn, his eyes still closed.
'It's me.' Her voice came out in a squeak
when she saw he was bare chested, his jeans riding low on his hips.
'What the f@#$!' His eyes popped open,
his sleep vanishing in seconds. 'Khushi! What are doing here?'
'I '.I' She was trying to keep her eyes
from wandering down to the waist band of his Calvin Kleins visible just above
his jeans. 'I have '.to talk to you.'
His eyebrows twisted suspiciously. 'How
the hell did you know I would be here?'
'Lucky guess.' She squeaked tucking a
strand of hair behind her ears.
'Khushi, about last night ----'
'That's not what I came here for Arnav,'
Khushi intervened quickly, 'we have to go the hospital right away ---'
'What is it?' he said urgently. 'Is Nani
alright?' Lines of concern creased his forehead.
'She is fine,' she said quickly, 'it's
your dad. He has been admitted to the hospital.'
'Oh,' Arnav's face hardened. 'Di is there
isn't she?'
'Yes she is. She has sent me the hospital
address. I told her we will be there soon.'
'I am not going.'
'Arnav,' Khushi implored to him as she
touched his shoulder, 'you have to go and see him. He is your father.'
He walked away from her, the muscles of
his body rigid with tension. 'A father in name only. Where the hell was he all
these years?'
'You heard what Di told about him Arnav,'
Khushi reminded him, 'he has been mentally sick for a long time. You can't hold
that against him.'
'I just can't forget the fact that he
hurt mom.'
'I understand that Arnav, but you have to
be the bigger man here. Di messaged that his condition is very critical. He has
been asking to meet you.'
'F@#$!' he hit his hand against the wall
in anger.
'Please Arnav,' she implored. 'See him
just once. Otherwise you might regret it for the rest of your life.'
An hour later, they stood just outside
the ICU, within the pristine walls of Life Care hospital, enveloped in strong
hospital odour.
'He is out of danger now,' Dr Manav said
looking grim in his white coat. 'But I would recommend that he remain here for
observation for a few more days.'
'What happened?' Arnav's voice was gruff.
'His blood pressure was much beyond the
normal levels when he was brought here. That triggered a heart attack. He is
currently stable but any stress is only going to be dangerous for his health.'
'Was his BP a pre-existing condition?' Arnav
looked toward Anjali. 'He should have been on medication, if it was.'
'Yes it is,' Dr Manav replied. 'In fact, the
last time I visited him at the home, I changed his medication. The previous one
clashed with the psychiatric drugs he was taking.'
'The problem was he didn't take his
medications regularly. ' Shyam said with a shake of his head.
'But I told the boy who takes care of him
to make sure he took all his medication.' Anjali said anxiously.
'Rani Sahiba,' Shyam said slowly, 'You
know babuji was not in the best of mental health. You know how difficult it was
for Raju to administer his medications.'
'Don't worry Anjali we will make sure he
is okay,' Dr Manav said in an assuring tone. 'You can see him after we move him
to the private room but you should avoid talking today and let him rest.Please
excuse me.' Dr Manav moved away as he got called away for another emergency.
When Anjali, Shyam, Arnav and Khushi
stepped into the room, Anjali went up her dad and held his hand. Arnav was
shocked to see his once handsome father look frail, his hair completely grey.
His father was not yet sixty but looked seventy. He turned away fisting his
hand in frustration when Khushi held his shoulder.
'Go to him,' she whispered.
Arnav slowly walked toward his estranged
father, his heart pounding.
It was four days since Arnav's dad was
admitted to the hospital and Khushi stood in the kitchen making lunch. While
Anjali spent the mornings at the hospital, Khushi made lunch and took it with
her so she could relieve her in the afternoons. Her father-in-law's face lit up
every time she entered his room. He had begun to call her laali for some reason but she didn't have the heart to correct him.
Each day, as was the routine he spoke about the same thing. His speech was very
incoherent and she had difficulty comprehending him, but she managed to
decipher that he seemed to be repeatedly talking about a trip to the fair.Arnav
joined her in the evenings and Khushi subtly left them alone for a little while
until Anjali came in to take over once again.
As she finished packing the lunch, Shyam
came up to her asking her if she was ready to leave much to her consternation.
He had come in the previous day as well, and taken her to the hospital. His
superfluous friendliness was off-putting and she requested him to go on his
own, quickly making an excuse of having to run an errand before she came to the
hospital.
In the evening Khushi and Anjali saw Arnav
entering the premises same time as them.
'The hospital sent me a message to come in
urgently but I was in a meeting and couldn't see it.' Arnav said urgently.
'Oh God!' Anjali exclaimed. 'I couldn't
find my phone. I think I left it behind in the hospital.'
As they hurried up to the room, Dr Manav stood
with Shyam looking very grave.
'What happened?' Anjali's voice was a
whisper.
Shyam merely shook his head.
'Anjali, Dr Manav said slowly. 'He
suddenly developed wheezing and that triggered a massive heart attack. We
couldn't revive him. I am sorry.'
Tears streaming down her cheeks, Anjali walked
into the room but one look at her father's lifeless form she turned toward
Arnav and he took her in his arms before her knees buckled.Anjali held on her
brother, her entire body racked with sobs.
Just as Shyam stepped inside the room and
was about to go up to Anjali,Khushishook her head indicating to him that he
should just let the siblings comfort each other and not disturb them. Tears
were streaming down her own cheeks when she thought of how they had lost both
the parents in the span of a year. She could see that Arnav had not shed a tear
even though his eyes were moist, but one look at his stoic face told her that he
was holding it all in.
**
Khushi stepped into their bedroom to find
Arnav lying on the bed in the dark, with his hand across his eyes. The last
thirteen days had been gruelling for him. He had already looked like he had
lost weight at their wedding but after his dad's death he gotten worse having thrown
himself at work leaving very early in the morning and coming back very late at
night. Khushi knew he had been trying to avoid the relatives who came more out
of curiosity than to offer their condolences. Today, on the thirteenth day
believed to be the day the soul finally reaches its final destination, she
hoped that her father-in-law's troubled soul had finally found its peace.
Not having the heart to wake him up, she
put the tray away and decided to change her saree, taking off the safety pin
from the pallu. Just as she was about to put the pin on the dresser, she caught
a glimpse of Arnav's face in the mirror, as the light from pool side sliced
through the gap in the curtains. She froze. Was it tears she saw on his face?
She slowly stepped up to him, her heart
constricting further her own eyes welling up with tears as she sat on the bed.
Her heart pounding erratically she bent her head and took the glistening drop
on his cheek between her lips.
As Arnav jerked awake she stood up
nervously and turned away. She was about to move away when she felt a tug at
her pallu. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before she turned around to
see Arnav holding the end of her saree, a woebegone look on his face.
She rushed back to him as he wrapped his
arms around her waist, his face burrowing into her stomach as sobs racked his muscular
frame. She stood mutely, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stroked his
hair gently, relieved that her husband was finally grieving for his father.
In the wee hours of the morning, Arnav
stood at the pool side looking at his wife looking enchantingly beautiful as
she slept on his bed. Her long black lustrous hair lay on the pillow,contrasting
starkly with the milky white skin of her shoulders. The comforter dipped
dangerously low on the swell of her breasts as she moved in her sleep and
Arnav's body hardened at the sensuous vision. He admonished himself for wanting
her again when he knew she needed to rest. But he had no control over his body's
needs, forit was only Khushi who could give him the ultimate peace preceded by
the uncontrollable rapture. His thoughts went back to the night of Akash's
bachelor party when he taken her to see the garden and told her that it was
only place he came back to find peace.
'This is
the place I come to when I am restless or when I need to think. It gives me
peace.'
'But it is a little too far isn't it?'
'Maybe '.'
He paused. 'I may not have to go too far to find peace.'
'Uh?'
Khushi snapped her eyebrow unable to comprehend his enigmatic words. Then
something else caught her eye. 'Oh my God. This tree is glowing!' She ran
toward it.
Arnav followed
her. 'That banyan tree has been here like forever,' he explained as Khushi
stepped over its numerous roots. 'There are focus lights fitted to the ground
to give it that glowing effect.'
'Where is
the actual tree?' she said her eyes wide with awe as she walked deeper. 'I have
never seen a banyan tree like this. How old is it?'
When she
didn't get a reply Khushi turned around to find herself all alone. Then the
entire place plunged into pitch darkness.
'Arnavji!' she called out in fear, as a tremor
went through her body. When she still didn't get a response she began to
hyperventilate. She froze in shock, until something whizzed past her head
forcing her to make a run for it. When she crashed into something causing her
to trip and fall, she began to struggle with all her might screaming
hysterically. Suddenly a hand clamped on her lips silencing her screams while
the other pinned her hand to the ground.
'Khushi!'
Arnav yelled desperately.'It's me!'
'Arnavji''
Khushi opened her eyes, tears welling up in them instantly as she released her
hand from his and snaked her hands around his neck, holding him to herself as
she trembled violently. 'Something 'flew past '' she mumbled into his neck.
'F@#$!' he swore. 'Bats.
'I am an
idiot! You told me you were afraid of the dark and I left you all alone to go
meddling with the lights. I am so sorry Khushi. I was trying to show you how
the lights change to a different colour but I think I only managed to damage
it.
'It's
okay.' He whispered in her ear as held her to him until her tremors subsided. Luckily
their fall had been cushioned by a thick bed of dried leaves, saving them from
being bruised badly.Slowly, he raised his torso away using his elbows to
support himself.
Khushi dug
her finger into his shoulder. 'I am not going to leave you Khushi,' he said. 'I
am just going to switch on the torch on my cell phone.'
As the dim
light enveloped them, Arnav's heart beat stopped for a moment when he looked at
Khushi.Her saree was almost undone, having been caught in the roots during her
run. She lay there, her small roundedbreasts heaving up and down in her short and
snug red blouse, her rib bone jutting out above the flat planes of her
quivering stomach.His eyes were draw to her delectable navel just above the
waistband of her inskirt.
They both
realized the exact moment when his molten caramel eyes changed from concern to
desire and a different sort of tremor began deep inside her.
Slowly, not
taking his eyes off her, he placed his own shaky hand on her creamy stomach and
spanned it across her tiny waist.Khushi closed her eyes as an electric jolt
went through her and her body arched sensuously.
Her
abandoned response to his touch was his undoing. He bent his head and took her soft
velvety lower lip between his own.As he began to drink from her lips, Khushi
felt liquid heat pooling in the pit of her stomach andshe dug her fingernails
into his shoulder.He nipped on her lips causing her to gasp and he quicklydarted
his tongue into her mouth to explore its darkened caverns.
His hands moved
up her ribs to cup her breasts, his thumb drawing circles around her nipples arousing
them into hard buds and pinched one hardened peak between his fingers. Khushi
grabbed the crisp hair at the back of his head, and raised her hips high as she
felt another jolt sizzling right down to her core. With no warning whatsoever, Arnav
zipped his hand down her stomach and slid his palm to the V of her legs and began
to stroke right through her clothes.
As he
lifted his mouth from hers, her lips twisted in a protest but when he closed
his mouth over an erect nippleand sucked, she bit her lower lip and began topush
against his hand, demanding an unknown satisfaction as bewildering sensations
of pleasure bordering on pain assailed her.
Suddenly
she felt Arnav's weight shift as he pushed her legs apart with his thigh, to
nestle himself between them.As she felt his hardness pressing into the softness
of her core, even through the thin material of her in skirt, the tumult of
emotions she has been experiencing till now had doubled and she began to
undulate her hips to match the rhythm started by his. Her hands moved all over
the muscled planes of his back and shoulders and Arnav urgently worked his way
up her throat to capture her lips once again.
Pinning
both her hands on the leafy bed, he dipped his tongue into her mouth, mimicking
the action of his hips. As the frenzy increased Khushi felt herself teetering
on the edge of precipice, a kaleidoscope of colours forming within her closed
eyes as a multitude of mind-numbing sensations assailed her. And then all a
sudden she fell, spiralling down into the deep abyss as she splintered into a
million pieces.
I LOVE YOU
I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU
Khushi's
confession of her love echoed in Arnav's head as he once again held her while
her tremor subsided.
Her words
of love had brought him back to his senses. In spite of his best intentions he
hadn't been able to stay away from her in the past few months. He had kissed
her on Diwali night without giving a thought about the consequences. Khushi was
not like the girls he had dated before. She was beautiful, sweet, innocent,
funny and a lot of other things.Today, she had put her complete trust in him
and would give in to him with total abandonment.
That is
exactly why he had stopped. He would court her in the way she deserved. He
wanted her first time to be beautiful.
'Khushi,'
he said softly, 'I think we should get back. Akash and Payal are probably
looking for us.'
When her
eye brows creased with worry, he took her lips in a kiss that wiped away all
doubts.
'Do you
trust me?' he said huskily lifting his head.
She nodded her head wordlessly.
But she had been the one to break his
trust the very next day, thought Arnav as the first rays of sunlight touched
his face. But why, hadn't he been able to move
on? Why hadn't he found joy or pleasure with anyone else? What was it
that drew him to Khushi inevitably like a moth to a flame? Was he destined to
be a masochist where she was concerned?
Then he heard her wince slightly as she
turned in her sleep and remorse suffused him, for,unlike what he had thought five
years ago, he had neither courted her nor made her first time beautiful, his
raw need for her taking over him uncontrollably last night.
I feel
motivated to write more when I hear from you so do comment and feel free to
give me your feedback.
I am also
going to try an update this FF in a blog (just in case) Here is the link My Blog
My
previous works:
charlotte742013-05-01 04:09:07
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