Chapter 1

[MEMBERSONLY]

Khushi lowered her hands in frustration after trying to call Arnav and getting No answer.

Again.

She had been trying to call him for the past half an hour. When he hadn't picked up, she'd called his office only to talk to his secretary who had strict instructions from her boss that he shouldn't be disturbed.

Why did I have to bring her home and feel restless with every passing minute ? she thought.

"It isn't like this is happening for the first time. You're over reacting." She told herself and then gasped as she was hugged from behind.

"Will you tell me what is so urgent that you can't stop calling me?" Arnav asked snaking his arms around her from behind.

She turned around in his arms and smiled. She was at a loss for words. Who would have thought he'd show up like this?

"You've become so busy that you don't have time for my calls? Where were you?" she asked.

"In office, of course. Where else? And Khushi I was in a meeting so you better have a good reason for disturbing me in between"

"Arnavji, I'm sorry. I just...wanted to talk to you. Was the meeting very important?" Now how could she tell him that she was checking on his whereabouts?

"Khushi every meeting is important. It was within the office and since Sheetal is the new designer..."

"Sheetalji?" Khushi exclaimed before Arnav could complete his sentence. " She..She works for you?" she asked shock evident in her tone. Now she was with him in office too? Great !

He shrugged casually saying, "We had an opening and she was there for the interview..."

Khushi didn't hear anymore of what he was saying. She clenched her eyes shut and fisted her hands trying to block all those images of her husband with his ex-girlfriend. She was already having a hard time hiding the jealousy that was slowly creeping up.

"Khushi..." Arnav shook her.

She looked at him indecision written all over her face. He gently moved her fringes away from her eyes and asked, "Khushi, what happened?"

She shut her eyes again and wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him tightly.

"What?" he asked trying to look at her face. But she only clutched onto his shoulders more tightly.

"I ...I have to ask you something..." she said into his neck.

She had her hair drawn to her front giving him access to her bare shoulder. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder, "Hmmm? Ask."

She felt so guilty but how much ever she tried she couldn't stop her train of thoughts from imagining the worst. She had to ask him and get it done with. Everything will be fine then.

He had now moved away from her shoulders and was nuzzling her neck. When she didn't protest, he slowly nibbled at her earlobes and kissed the back of her ear. Khushi felt the familiar sensation of butterflies flying in her stomach. She couldn't concentrate like this. She mustered all of her strength and pulled away.

"Arnavji...stop doing that..." she reprimanded.

He scowled.

"I am thinking about something and you...you are trying to distract me."

"Excuse me?" Arnav scowled more, his patience waning slowly. "Firstly, I wasn't trying to distract you. And Khushi, you want to ask something, just ask it" he almost shouted.

She flinched at his tone. His temper wasn't anything new to her but since nowadays he rarely lost his cool with her, she was taken aback.

She looked at him. His expression hard, his eyes intense were staring into her troubled ones.

And then slowly his expression softened.

He knew something was definitely troubling her because his usually talkative wife was uncharacteristically quiet. He reached forward and clasped her hands in his. She let him hold it, a million different expressions crossing her face in the span of a minute. And then she pulled away.

"What the ...??"

"Khushi what's troubling you? Is it about Sheetal?"

"Wo...Haan...nahi..."

"Khushi I can understand you're feeling uncomfortable but you don't have to"

"It's not only about her..." she was finding it difficult to ask him.

"Haven't you been listening to anything I've said? She was my past dammit ! I can't help it. And I've told you it meant NOTHING to me." The anger on his face unsettled her more.

She was almost on the verge of crying when his arms wound around her.

There were two reasons why Khushi couldn't bring herself to ask Arnav about his relationship with Sheetal directly. One, if the answer was a yes, she really didn't think she wanted to know it. Two, if it was a no, then how would she face him after that? Did she have so little trust on him ?

"Khushi, I have to get back to office" he said into her hair.

His arms around her were so comforting; she'd have happily stayed that way forever. But she nodded slightly letting the topic down again. He kissed her forehead before saying something about another meeting and walking away.

It had been two days. She wasn't feeling any better. It was like she had split personality. When Arnav was with her she felt like the happiest person on earth. Like she was all he wanted in life. But everytime she saw Arnav talking to Sheetal, her heartbeats tripled. Her imagination ran wild. He had told Khushi that he was on a lookout for a house for rent for them. He really was normal. He really did behave like it all "meant nothing" to him.

"Hey Devi mayya...What do I do now?"

She had locked the door to her room and was now thinking out loud, sitting near the foot of the bed with a box of channa and a plate of jalebi surrounding her.

She couldn't ignore the similarities between Aarav and Arnav. The fact that Sheetal was his ex-girlfriend didn't help either. But Arnav had said it all meant nothing to him. No ! she didn't doubt his words. Not his present. And he had been honest with her about his past. He had told her about his relationship with Sheetal by himself. So, if he thought Aarav was his son, he'd probably tell her.

Or will he?

Did it matter?

Didn't he tell her he loved no one else but her? More than once? And she knew he loved only her. She remembered the warm tenderness in his eyes when he watched her. He'd changed so much for her. He stood by her whenever she needed him. He never betrayed her trust. How protected and secure she felt in his arms. Isn't it all that matters ? Him and her ?

"I should talk to him, immediately. Apologise for everything" she decided.

She couldn't wait until he came back home. She dressed up and left for his office. She gathered all her strength and walked to his cabin. What she saw there didn't help her train of thoughts. Arnav was with Sheetal. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the wall. She then took a deep breath and said to herself, "Common Khushi, she's his employee."

"Khushi ?" Her eyes snapped open at the familiar voice to look into his questioning eyes.

His brows furrowed as she nervously looked to and forth between him and Sheetal. "Why are you here? Why didn't you come in?"

"I... Came...to..."

"Excuse me ASR, I'll see you later" Sheetal said moving out.

He nodded at her and looked back at Khushi.

Khushi stopped to let Sheetal pass by before going in. She walked over to stand in front of him.

"I'm sorry" she blurted out.

"Sorry for what?"

"I was scared. Confused."

He blinked.

"I know it was unnecessary. And it doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter if you have your ex-girlfriend working for you. Not even that she has a son who behaves exactly like you. I don't want to know about your relationship with her. All I know is..." she said in one breath and stepped forward to stand on her toes and kissed his cheeks, "I trust you"

Khushi didn't look at his face and hence she didn't know how dangerously serious he had become. In all the apologising, she had told him everything that had been on her mind all these days.

Before she could pull away, he pulled her by her waist, "Khushi you thought all these about me? Is that what you've been trying to ask me?" he asked clenching his teeth. The hurt in his voice made her throat go dry.

She gulped, "I...wo...Arnavji...I'm sorry..."

"But..." He looked at her. Could he really blame her for what she thought? No, he decided. It was natural. And she was apologising for something that wasn't really her fault. And he felt happy that she'd finally decided that it didn't matter. His anger was almost instantly gone.

"Khushi, you don't have to be sorry."

She took his head in his hands and kissed his forehead, "You belong only to me". She then kissed his eyes, his cheeks, his chin. He chuckled and leaned forward to whisper in her ears, "Mrs.Raizada, we're in my office."

She immediately pulled her hands back and lowered her head blushing. He laughed and lifted her chin, "Khushi, I can't help what happened in the past. But now, I am yours. I love you. I've loved only you." She nodded and wrapped her arms around him.

Face pink, she hid her face in his chest as he picked her up in his arms and walked out.

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I would like to dedicate this OS to Rasgulla_sp aka Saiyu as she motivated, encouraged and pushed me to write it :-D 😉

And to Lazyleaves aka Zehra, Samiya, Jessica for pushing me to post it ! 😃

And Soni, Farah, ...

You guys have made my life so much more beautiful :D😊

[NOCOPY]