Chapter 23
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Desert Rose ' Chapter 22
AWAKENING as the soft light from the partly
drawn curtains filtered across her face, Khushi found that the bed beside her
was empty. Hot colour creeped up her neck when images of the previous night
flashed before her eyes, then increased further when she remembered how Arnav
had carried her into the bedroom. She had found herself entrapped yet again in
a sensual spell as he touched with the sure artistry of a man confident of his
prowess, until finally, surfeited with sensation and satisfaction, she had drifted
into sleep, her dark hair pillowed on his broad chest.
Pulling herself to a sitting position, she found
the bathroom door opening as Arnav re-entered the bedroom. To her surprise he
was dressed in a silver-grey business suit, a dark blue tie knotted at the
throat of a paler-hued shirt.
'Arnavji?' Still bemused by the dregs of sleep,
she questioned his appearance as he approached her to sit on the bed.
'Arnavji?' He smirked. 'What happened to Arnav?
You seemed comfortable using it last night.' As he saw the colour on her face
he continued, 'I have to go to Delhi on business without delay. Akash had called
me last night. He is having some trouble dealing with the modelling agency.' He
shrugged.
'But for how long?' Carefully she masked the
disappointment she felt as her eyes dwell on the bristles on his cheek, tough
and sexy, bearing the slight scent of some after shave. Last night it had been
slightly abrasive, a prickle of awareness reawakened as she recalled the touch
of it against her breast.
'A day or two ' it depends on those frigging
idiots.' He said brusquely.
Seeing the lines of tension creasing his
forehead, Khushi refrained from broaching the subject of Shyam. It was not the
right time to tell him something like this when he had more serious matters to
worry about.
He bent down and placed his lips on the sore
spot on the side of the neck and ran his tongue over it. When she winced he
said huskily, 'You sure know how to get back.'
As her brows snapped together curiously, he
walked to the door and turned back, 'A wild cat scratched me on my back last
night. As Khushi stared at him with her mouth wide open, he gave her the most sexiest
lop sided smile she had ever seen. 'Bye Khushi.'
Shyam
left the woman sleeping on the bed and walked out quietly. But none of her
talents had helped him in forgetting Khushi. She was becoming an obsession. It
was driving him crazy that Khushi was not falling for his schemes. She seemed
hell bent upon supporting that b!@#$% Arnav Singh Raizada. And there could be
only one reason for that. She had fallen in love with him. But how could she do
that? Arnav did not deserve it. He had hated him from the moment he had entered
his life.
Trying
to turn her against Arnav, he had told Khushi more than what she needed to know.
Now, he would have to keep a closewatch on her.Time to go back to Raisar.
Khushi
sat in the car, lost in thought.'What's that smile for Khushi?' asked Manav who
was at the wheel. He and Khushi were on the way to the outskirts of Ranakpur to
hand out essentials to the tribal women who lived in the area. Anjali still
hadn't been able to get out of bed and had requested Khushi to go along as the
tribal women were wary about interacting with men.
'It's
nothing Dr Manav.' Khushi brushed off the question.
'Khushi,
it's good that you came with me today,' began Manav, 'I have to ask you
something. That day at Junagarh, when you tripped, you looked very frightened
like someone was after you. And I think I saw '..Shyam. Did something happen?'
'Yes,
it was Shyam.' She admitted with a nod.
Manav
turned the vehicle and stopped it at a nearby dhaba. He took Khushi to a nearby
table and ordered for tea. 'Now tell me Khushi.'
Khushi
told him everything Shyam had told her from the beginning. 'I think he has been
trying very hard to turn me against Arnavji. I sensed a sort of malevolence
toward him.'
'Khushi,
you have to tell Arnav everything ' right away.' Manav urged.
'I
will Dr Manav,' she assured him, 'he is very busy with the fashion event right
now. The event is in trouble because his employee quit on him suddenly. I will
tell him as soon as the fashion event is over.'
'Khushi,
you are worrying about Arnav when you should worry about yourself.' He said
lines of worry creasing his forehead. 'If you don't tell him I will have to
reveal this to Anjali.'
'No
Dr Manav, I will tell Arnavji first. I promise.' She pleaded. 'But Di seems to be very sick. She threw up
her breakfast this morning. What is wrong with her?'
'I
thought that her abdominal cramps were due to amoebiasis or food infection. So
I gave her a dose of antibiotic shots. I don't think the shots are helping her.
I will take a blood sample and take it to the lab for testing.
'I
can't believe that b@#$%^ is doing this to her!' he banged his hand on the
table agitated.
'How
is that you believe me Dr Manav?' Khushi asked him out of curiosity, 'even the
last time I told you at Di's birthday party, you never doubted me.'
'I
have never liked Shyam since that first time I met him at their first wedding
anniversary at the Haveli. During the party, I realized that he was a lewd
character. I overheard him talking to a group of men, discussing women as if
they were commodities. Later, when Anju introduced me as her childhood friend
hid demeanour toward me was lukewarm. He has always been very reserved with me.
'Another
time, when I went to Delhi, I saw him coming out of a hotelwith a young woman.'
'Why
didn't you tell Di?' asked Khushi.
'I
don't know Khushi.' Manav said holding the glass with both hands. He fell
silent for a few seconds. 'I guess I thought that it was my feelings for Anju
that was seeing more into something that wasn't really there.' He shrugged. 'You
know how love is Khushi. It makes you do crazy things.'
'What
do you mean?' she asked him surprised.
'Don't
pretend you don't understand Khushi,' Manav said smiling at her. 'I know you
are in love with Arnav. Anju told me in the week following Arnav's departure to
Delhi after we went behind his back to let Akash and Payal meet. After seeing
your state, she was so guilty that she sent you with him. She was so relieved
when Arnav did the right thing and married you.'
Khushi
went a deep red when she realized what he was saying. Manav patted her hand
lying on the table, 'He is so lucky to have you in his life.'
The
following night Khushi entered the bedroom, her dhak-dhak increasing with each
step. Arnav had returned early that evening. After dinner he had excused
himself for a call he had to take. As she passed the bed, she found a box lying
on it, her name written out in large letters. She unwrapped the box and neatly
folded the paper and laid it on the night stand. Lifting the top of the box,
she gasped as the content was revealed.
It
was night gown. Not just any gown, but a glorious white silk, with tiny pearl
buttons and lacy insets across the bodice. The silk felt cool and luxurious
against her hands and suddenly she wanted it on, skimming her body.
She
went into the closet and undressed quickly, her hands trembling slightly with
anticipation. She pulled the gown over her head and let if fall against her
curves like a cool waterfall of silk.
Turning
around, she faced her reflection in the dresser mirror. It fit beautifully.
Arnav was good at buying the right size for her, the number of her anarkali
suits hung up in the closet a solid proof in that regard. The rounded neckline
tastefully exposed the swell of her breasts without being overt, and the
tapered waist made her appear willow slender.
She
had never worn anything like that before in her life. She felt like a fairy
princess waiting for her prince to join her in the marital bed. Arnav.Her prince'.
her love.
As
she stepped out the closet, he stood there, as if waiting only for her to call
his name. For a long moment their gazes locked and held. His eyes called to
her, saying everything that was in her own heart. He held out his hand and she
walked up to him, her heart clamouring wildly.
'You
look so beautiful,' he said his voice soft and husky as desire shone from his
eyes.
'The
gown is beautiful,' she replied, still holding his hand.
'No,'
he countered. 'You are beautiful. You take my breath away.' He leaned forward
and gently touched his lips to hers.
His
hands touched her shoulders, caressed across her back, and suddenly she was
pressed intimately into him and he deepened the kiss by swirling his tongue
against hers.
He
stepped away from her long enough to pull his t-shirt off over his head and
toss it to the floor. When he took her in his arms again, her hands splayed
across his warm back, loving the play of muscles against her fingers and palms.
As
his lips found hers again, Khushi realized the love she felt for Arnav at this
moment in time was different, far more profound than what she had felt on the
day she had gone out into the desert with him. At that time she had been
overwhelmed by the sheer magnetism he exuded when he came near her. She had
been awed by the fact that this intensely handsome, slightly dangerous man
wanted her.
Now,
she still felt all those things, but there were additional emotions that played
into the whole package. Things like the way Arnav went out of his way to make
her comfortable during Payal'smehendi or the way he had taken care of her when
she was stuck in the attic. Arnav as a man and a husband had taken utter
possession of her heart and soul.
She
gasped as without warning he scooped her up in his arms. His gaze burned into
hers, speaking volumes of the passion that famed inside him.
He
carried her to the bed and gently laid her down, then, gaze still locked with
hers, he tore off his jeans and stretched out beside her.
For
a long moment he made no move to touch her, caressing her only with a sweeping
gaze that licked tongues of fire along her veins.
Khushi
did the same to him, first holding eye contact with him, then moving her gaze
to the breadth of his shoulders and across the dark hairs that gave his chest
an erotic, masculine appeal. His stomach was lean, without an ounce of spare
flesh. Heat washed over her as her eyes moved lower.
'If
you keep looking at me like that, we are going to be finished here before we
really get started,' he warned.
She
blushed, covering her face with her hands, thrilled inwardly that she could
affect him by a mere look. Arnav moved her hands away from her face claiming
her lips in a fiery kiss that drove all other thoughts from her head.
The
gown that had begun the whole scene was quickly discarded, tossed to the floor
along with Arnav's jeans, leaving her naked and vulnerable to his every touch.
His
mouth was hot, hungry and demanding, and he used it to love every inch of her
body, filling her with and ache she feared might consume her. She thrashed
beneath him, her hand grasping him, urging him to take possession of her. But
he refused to hurry.
They
made love slowly, languidly, as if they owned the hands of time and would not
relinquish control until they absolutely had to.
When
he finally entered her, Khushi was lost in a sea of sweet sensation, and Arnav
was her life raft. She clung to him, wanting to hold him forever.
He
slowly eased his hips back, until he was just barely inside her, then he moved
forward, filling her up with his warm hardness. He repeated the motion again
and again, until she was crying out in pleasure.
He
increased his pace, moving faster into her, his biceps rigid as he worked his
hips back and for the, sending her higher and higher on the crests of passion.
She
cried out in surrender as wave after wave of pleasure crashed around her,
inside her. And with a cry of his own, Arnav relinquished his last grasp of
control and surrendered to her.
Although Arnav shifted his weight to her side,
they remained entwined, neither in any hurry to break the sweetness of their
intimacy.
A
deep fulfilment, an utter contentment flooded through Khushi. She could feel
Arnav's heartbeat, strong and vital. The scent of him surrounded her, and she
felt more safe, more secure than she'd ever felt in her life.
Closing
her eyes she, she sighed audibly. This was where she belonged, in his arms. As
utter contentment filled her, she drifted off to blissful sleep.
The
next night,as Khushi entered the bedroom, she found Arnav sitting on the chaise,
the floor lamp throwing his face in shadows. She remembered the last time his
face had looked like this ' harsh and disdainful.
'Arnavji,
is something wrong?' she said alarmed.
'Where
have you been Khushi?' his said his tone dangerous.
'To
Ranakpur.' She said. 'Didn't Di tell you?' She went to the dressing table to
take off her bangles.
'Yes
she told me.' He said. 'But she didn't tell me that you stop by at dhabas
having a rendezvous with your special friend.'
'What
are you talking about?' Khushi asked him with growing trepidation.
'Did
you or did you not go to the dhaba with Manav?' he hissed, his eyes glinting.
'Yes.'
she said laconically.
'Why?'
'We
wanted to have tea.'
'And?'
Khushi
hesitated wondering if this was the right time to tell him about Shyam.
'Don't
strain yourself too much,' he said, taking his cell phone out of his pocket.
'Let me jog your memory.' He showed her a video and a very familiar
conversation reached her ears.
Khushi, you have to tell
Arnav everything ' right away'''
I don't want to reveal
all this now, when Di seems to be very sick'''
You know how love is
Khushi'..Don't pretend you don't understand Khushi'.. I know you are in love''.so lucky to have you
Khushi
was shocked. Someone had taken a video of her conversation with Manav and
doctored it. 'This' this is not true.' She stuttered, her eyes going wide with
disbelief.
'Are
you trying to tell me this is not you and that is not your voice?' he asked her
looking at her with derision.
'No,'
said Khushi raising her voice. 'But the video is not right.'
'Then
why don't you enlighten me Khushi?' he said acrimoniously. 'What did Manav mean
when he said you have to tell me everything?'
'I
--- ' she hesitated.
'Even
that day on Di's birthday you refused to tell me what you were talking about.
In fact you very cleverly steered the conversation in a different direction and
I allowed myself to be distracted.' He said harshly. 'What the f@#$ do you have
to tell me?' he thundered.
'About
Shyamji,' she blurted out.
'What
the f@#$?'
Khushi
told him briefly about Shyam. 'Why didn't you tell me this before?' he asked
her.
'I
wanted to ----'
'Enough
Khushi!' he cut her off with a raise of his hand. 'You are making all this up because
I caught you with Manav, aren't you?'
'Arnavji!'
Khushi looked up at him sharply. He didn't believe her! Tears began streaming
down her cheeks.
'That day, in Junagarh, when he said I was the
one who has ruined your life --- he meant he was the right one for you, didn't
he?'
'God'..no!'
Khushi pleaded, her voice strangled.
'Why
else would he tell you that you know how love is and that he is so lucky to
have you?' He continued on relentlessly, 'Back home it was Suraj who was
running after you and here you have Manav. And you seem to think that my
brother-in-law is also interested in you. Wonderful! Is there anyone else I
should know about?' Arnav said scathingly.
'You
should be one to talk!' Khushi shot back pushing him on his chest.
Arnav
caught her by the hands and pinned her against the wall, 'So, is that what this
is all about?' he rasped, 'an eye for an eye.'
'No!'
she said emphatically as the tears continued to flow.
'This
was exactly why I never wanted to marry. Marriage is about trust and I have
seen that people always find some way to break that trust. You broke my trust
once before and I don't know why I thought --- never mind''you are no different
from Lavanya.'
Arnav's
words felt like a knife was being twisted in her heart. He had brought up the
past she had believed was behind them for ever. He was never going to forget
nor forgive. She thought of all the beautiful moments she had spent in his
arms. 'Arnavji,' she tried again, 'you have to believe me I would never do that
to you!' pleaded Khushi. 'Afterall that has happened between us '.. I '''
'After
all that has happened?' he said acrimoniously, 'you should know by now that being
physically intimate has nothing to do with trust.'
Each
word was a whiplash. She hit back. 'Maybe you have the habit of being intimate
with people you don't trust but for me there is only one reason I would allow
someone that right. It was true that first night in the desert and has been
true each and every time since then.'
'You
were blushing when he said he knew you were in love.'
It
was like he had just not heard her at all. 'Yes!' Khushi yelled back at him. 'I
was blushing because he had just told me that he knew that I was in love with you!'
'You
would say anything to get out of this mess won't you?' he grated, his caramel
orbs glinting dangerously.
As
she winced from the cruelty of his words, he bent to an inch from her lips. 'I
seriously regret the day I met you Khushi Kumari Gupta. I wish you had never
entered my life!' He straightened and walked away leaving her all alone in that
splendid bedroom.
A
few days later, Khushi sat in the bedroom packing her bag. Arnav had left for
Delhi after the fight and hadn't called her since.
Alone
in the bedroom, she faced the lonely future with a devastating sense of
bereavement. She had no more tears left. She felt like there was a hole in the
place where her heart was supposed to be. What has she expected? That night in
the library she had sensed profound pain inside him and had reached out to him
voluntarily. He obviously had taken it as an acquiescence to take their
marriage to the next level and nothing more than that. It was she who had begun
to weave dreams of love around him. It
had meant nothing to him.
Shyam's
words came back to her with starling clarity ---
Why would he choose to
be with you when he can have a 'no strings attached' relationship with a
like-minded partner like Jenny? 'Don't you see how made for each other they
are?
She
remembered the words he had told Jenny that other day ---
I had no choice '..
Maybe
he didn't want to believe her about Shyam because he wanted to go back to the
life he craved. To the United States. Back to freedom. Away from her.
She
sighed deeply. She knew he had married her out of a sense of responsibility. She
meant nothing to him. Earlier she had been forced to stay back because of
Payal. But that was no longer an issue. It was time to break the ties which
bound her to him. And tonight she would be able to put her plan into acting as
Anjali had gone out with Manav to attend the wedding of their common friend.
She did not want to confront her. She would leave her a letter. It was best
that way.
Back
in Delhi, Arnav paced about his study, angry with himself. The conversation he
had with Khushi that night played over and over in his mind in the last few
days.
He had just told me that
he knew that I was in love with you''
God!
She loved him! And he had dismissed it without thinking. He hated himself for
having spoken to Khushi so harshly. What had come over him?Anger always got the
better of him. He had hurt her by comparing her to Lavanya. How could he do
that when he knew in his heart that she could never ever do anything like that?
Since morning he had been feeling that she was calling to him. He had to talk
to her. He dialled her number but she didn't pick up her phone. F@#$! He raked
his hand across his hair.
Someone
had sent him that MMS with malicious intent and he had just played right into their
hands. He was just about to dial again when his phone rang. It was the police.
They asked him if he could bring them Lavanya's jewel box for their inspection.
He remembered putting the box in his case when he had left Raisar a few days
ago. He agreed to bring it to them.
Arnav
took the box out of the case and was about to put it on the table when it
slipped out of his hands and fell on the floor, spilling all the contents. As he
began to gather all the pieces of jewellery, a familiar piece stood out from
the rest. It was a men's silver chain
bracelet with a turquoise river stone embedded in the centre. There was one
person who used to wear a bracelet like that many years ago --Shyam Manohar Jha.
Anjali's
phone rang and as she picked it up she realized it was Arnav. He was asking her
where Khushi was as she was not receiving his calls.
'I
am on my way to Jaitsar for a wedding Chotte,' explained Anjali, 'Manav is with
me. Khushi didn't want to come because she had a head ache. I will be back
tonight.'
'Where
is Shyam?' he asked with dread.
'He
is still in Delhi,' she told him, 'Chotte? Is something wrong?'
'Di,
I am not really sure but I don't have time to explain,' he told her hurriedly,
'just go back home right away. I will meet you there.' He cut the phone.
'Chotte
is behaving so strangely.' Anjali told Manav. 'He wants us to go back to the
Haveli.'
'Anju,'
Manav said in a quiet tone, 'I got your blood report. Your blood has traces of
arsenic. That is why you have been getting stomach cramps. Someone has been
lacing your food with arsenic.'
As
Anjali looked at him shell shocked, Manav turned the car around stepping on the
accelerator. 'I will tell you everything I know.' He said.
Khushi walked into her old bedroom at the
guest house. She had left her phone here when she had come here in the morning
to look for some of her old belongings. She found it on the night stand. As she
picked it up she saw the album that had belonged to Lavanya. She opened the
cover to look at the college photo of Arnav she had seen earlier. She wondered
if she could take it with her. As she took it out of the album she found
another photo behind it. It was a group photo. Amongst all the people she found
Lavanya laughing uninhibitedly up at a man who held her by her waist in a
possessive way only a lover would hold. It
was Shyam.
Suddenly,
the elusive memory during her conversation with Shyam in the Junagarh palace
came back to her ---
If you don't leave him,
he will find a way to get rid of you. Just like he got rid of his pregnant
fiance'''
How
had Shyam known that Lavanya was pregnant? Anjaliji had clearly told her that
she didn't know why Arnav was marrying Lavanya in such a hurry. Even Arnav had
told her that no one knew about it. How did Shyam know something that even
Anjali didn't know?Unless...Hey Devi
Maiyya!
She
had to tell Arnav. As she picked up her phone she found Arnav's missed calls.
He had tried to call her? Her heart surged with joy. She dialled his number
only to be told that his phone was switched off. She decided to dial Anjali's
number but to her dismay her battery went dead. Cursing herself for her carelessness, she picked up the land
line to find the phone line dead as well.
'You
have figured it out haven't you Khushiji?' said a familiar voice, sending a
chill up her spine.
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