Entry #4: Nine Years!

This is Entry #4 in the ArShi's 9th Wedding Anniversary Contest

It is written by dramebaaz.af and titled Nine Years!

Arnav yawned as he pushed away his chair from the desk to get up and leave. He was unsure how work kept piling itself up day after day despite him doing his best to wrap up everything during the generally accepted work hours. He got up, slammed the screen of his laptop shut, and stuffed the folders on his desk into his briefcase. After leaving a memo for Aman on his desk, along with sending a quick email, he slipped his phone into his pocket and hurried to get back home. It was nearing midnight and he was sure that Khushi wasn't going to be too happy with his late appearance to their bed. 

He had made his way halfway down the spiral staircase from his office when he stopped in his tracks and rushed back up. He pulled open the drawer on the right side of the desk to pull out a flash drive, and a jewelry box. Slipping the box into his bag, he finally made his way out of the building. 

The Delhi fall breeze caressed Khushi’s face as she sat on the floor by the pool starting at the reflection of the waning moon. In few minutes it would be nine years since the fateful day of their wedding. The proper one with all the rasams and the phere. At times while recalling the day, she couldn’t believe how lucky she had felt that day and throughout the past years. There were moments when she wanted to ask him about what would’ve happened if he didn’t come but he had always said one thing, and one thing alone. To let the past remain what it was, their past. Her eyes went to the phone lying next to her to look at the time. 11:45pm. 

“Laad Governor” she mumbled under her breath at her husband's absence. He had promised to be home early and here it was, almost pushing midnight. Just as she leaned against the pillar and closed her eyes, she felt the energy around her shift. She opened her eyes to see that him catching his breath whilst standing two steps away from her. He looked as if he had rushed up the stairs. 

“Khushi!” He said, making her smile before looking away with a disgruntled look to show her displeasure.

He dropped his bag on the recliner alongside his coat, before walking out to sit next to her. 

“Sorry!” He pulled her hands into his. “I ran a bit late.” She refused to look at him. 

“Khushi! I’m saying sorry!” He repeated. She blinked furiously to hide the corners of her mouth turning into a smile. He noticed the stiffness in her demeanor and sighed before dropping her hands. She frowned and turned to look at him. 

“You’re going to be angry with me today? Out of all the days?” he complained. 

She glared at him, “Everyone is right when they say that husbands change after years of marriage. If it was our second or third anniversary, you would’ve been making jalebi for me after coming late. And now, you want a simple sorry to fix everything!” She lashed out. 

“Khushi!” His tone was deeper and more stern. 

“What Khushi?!” She mimicked his tone and pouted before looking away at the moon’s reflection again. The breeze brushed past her face again as the trees around the house made a silent rustling noise. He took in a deep breath before inching closer to her. 

“Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada,” he started out ever so softly, rolling her name off his tongue in a tone he had grown to observe that she found it hard to resist, “I am so so so sorry that I came home late. Especially today! But I am not going tomorrow!” 

She turned around to see him holding his ears. “Please!” He said. 

“Okay!” She replied pulling his hands down from his ears and holding them in hers, “I forgive you.” She smiled at him, before throwing herself onto him, engulfing him in a hug. “You’re so lucky that I don’t throw tantrums like regular wives.”

“Oh definitely!” He replied with a chuckle and rolled his eyes at the statement that clearly contradicted her behavior. 

She slowly pulled away from him, her eyes failing to leave his face with a smile that stretched ear to ear. “Happy Anniversary!” She said signaling the clock visible next to his bedside. It had finally struck past midnight. 

He turned to see the time and smiled back, “Happy Anniversary!” He replied pulling his hand out hers and taking hers into his to kiss the top of her hand. He looked up to see blush fill up her cheeks and the glint in her eyes shift. Before anything else can move forward, he excused himself for a second and got up to pull out the jewelry box from his work bag. Her eyes trailed his steps, remained fixated on his back until he turned back around to come to sit next to her again. 

“I got this!” He said excitedly, presenting her with a velvet box.

“What is it?”

“Here,” he mumbled as he opened it. It was a gold necklace with an oval pendant with their initials inscribed on each side. He pushed the pendant between his fingers and it opened into a small frame with a photo on each side of each of them from their wedding. She let out a gasp looking at the photos in the necklace in his hand. 

“Arnav ji!” She looked at him before looking back at the necklace with a surprised grin. 

“Always the look of surprise at my presents!” He joked at her reaction, pretending to be offended. 

“Oh no!” She reassured before rolling her eyes at the smirk on his face. 

“Why did you chose this photo?” She remarked taking the necklace into her hand, “You have a bloody forehead in this one!” 

“Yeah, we had interesting weddings each time around, didn’t we?” He chuckled a bit dryly. 

She pursed her lips recalling the misunderstandings surrounding their first wedding, and then their past shadowing their second but brushed off the thoughts as a hmmm escaped her lips in agreement. He unclasped the necklace and leaned to put it around her neck. 

“Nine Years!” He repeated pulling her towards him so that barely an inch was left in between them as he leaned back himself.

“Yeah, nine years!” She bit her lips in anticipation of him kissing her except he pulled away and abruptly stood up. She sat shocked for a moment before noticing his palm outstretched towards her. She grumbled something under her lips before taking his hand. 

“The kids, how were they today?” He inquired helping her up as they walked into the room. 

“Fine!” She said, “Aarav wants to go on some trip. Backpacking or something he was saying. I didn’t understand half of it and I don’t get the point of it either.” She relented as the two walked towards the children’s room to check up on them. “—and your daughter she’s been really been testing my patience these days.” Arnav pushed open Aarav’s door to see him fast asleep. He closed it shut before opening the door next to his and seeing his daughter fast asleep. He stood still for a moment, pulling Khushi closer to him and wrapping his arms around her. 

“She’s perfect!” He whispered to her admiring their five-year-old sound asleep.

“Yeah.” She nodded in agreement. “Just not when she’s awake. She’s like you! Bothers me too much!” She added. 

“Oh yeah!” He teased as they closed the door behind to head back to their room. “—Are you jealous because I’m their favorite!” 

Khushi glared at him. 

“Go change!” She pointed before picking up a hair tie to braid her hair and settling in the bed. 

He locked the door behind before going to change out of the daywear. He stepped out in few minutes to see her already lying. “Khushi!” He called her getting under the covers.

“Hmm?”

“Where’s my present? It’s my anniversary too!” He pointed

“It’s in the cupboard Arnav ji! I’ll give it to you tomorrow morning, okay!” She replied with her eyes still closed while stifling a yawn. 

“No, I want it now!” He complained laying next to her. 

“What?” She grumbled opening her eyes to see him in front of her. 

“I don’t want to wait till tomorrow! Besides, I really liked the present you gave me before our wedding!” He added. She heaved a sigh before moving closer towards him, slowly tracing her palm over his chest before placing a kiss on his cheek and the edge of his lips before settling into his arms. “Go to sleep now!” She chided wrapping herself around him. 

He sighed before giving in knowing full well that the festivities around the celebration in and outside the bedroom would perhaps be reserved for the following evening.  

“Arnav ji!”

“Hmm?”

“I love you!” She said as she tightened her grip around him. Before he could register and respond, she had fallen asleep. He replied reciprocating her sentiment through a yawn to only hear her snore. He smiled as he allowed himself to fall into slumber. Nine perfect years had passed by, and he knew that he couldn’t wait for nine more perfect years to pass them by again!