Chapter 3
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[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
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Part 2: Day 12
Section 1
Arnav woke up first, Khushi's name on his lips, his panicked eyes automatically searching for Khushi on the bed. She was asleep, drained by the events of the past few days, curled up in her white blanket with small pink roses spread on it.
His eyes softened at the sight of her relaxed face. He sat up and looked his fill of her.
So it had all been a lie. Shyam had manipulated him, turned him against Khushi... And he had fallen for it. Di's accident on Payal & Akash's wedding day, his determination to tell Khushi that he loved her, the terrible scene he had seen on the terrace, the revelation of the real face of Shyam Manohar Jha and the realisation that Khushi had been fooling him, that she was in love with Shyam, finding out that Di was pregnant, hearing Shyam claim that Khushi loved him and that he loved Khushi, that he was willing to abandon Di and go away with Khushi...
It had been too much to take in. It had been unexpected.
The pain of losing Khushi had been sharper than the pain of knowing that his Di was living in a fool's land... he could admit it now, to himself. Knowing that Khushi loved another had cut him like a knife, lacerating his heart, leaving him bleeding. Had it been just that slimeball, Shyam, he could have dealt with him easily. Di would have cried and fainted, but she would have seen sense. He could have managed, as he had been managing for the past decade. But Khushi! Her loss, a sense of betrayal had cut him to the core. And Di's pregnancy. That had complicated things further. Arnav sighed.
He looked at Khushi's face closely. Faint dark circles under her eyes, the gauntness on her face... She had paid heavily for his sins. Being insulted by thugs on the streets of Lucknow because he had aired the clip... Arnav swallowed hard. His thoughtlessness had led to her public humiliation. And had let Shyam make a place for himself in her family. Arnav Singh Raizada was Arnav's worst enemy, he realised at that moment. His ego, his anger, his arrogance, his bitterness, his blindness, his prejudiced view of the world, they had all combined to make his and Khushi's lives miserable.
They had been getting close. They had been on the verge of confessing why farak padta he, when the storm had broken over their heads. Her shyness as she had accompanied her family to his house on Payal's wedding day, his possessiveness, her panic when he had told her that he wanted to talk to her, the eagerness with which both of them had rushed to the corridor to lay their hearts bare... Arnav could almost cry at the pain & disillusionment both those innocent individuals had suffered that day.
The shock in her eyes as he had proposed the 6-month marriage, her helplessness in the face of her Jiji's wedding being cancelled, the tears she had shed as he had tied the mangalsutra around her neck, the way in which she had shut her eyes when he had flicked the maangtika aside and smeared the sindoor in her maang...
She had buried her face in her hands in shame at what they had done that night. She had known how disappointed her family would be in her, how furious his family would be, how unhappy all would be... He had not been bothered by their tears and complaints, only by the blow that Amma had given Khushi. All he had seen was Shyam's shocked face, his chagrin at having his illicit pleasure stolen from under his nose...
And the wedding night... Arnav clenched his jaw. He had pushed her out of the room, forcing her to sleep on the tiles in the cold. He buried his face in his hands. With his actions and his words, he had made life hell for her.
His family had not helped either. They had punished her for a crime that had not been hers, but his. Her own family had shunned her. All because of him. Just him and his bad judgement.
He looked at a sleeping Khushi with moist eyes. A girl with less spunk would have gone under. But not his Khushi. She had bounced back, matching him word for word, action for action... She had made his family open their hearts to her again. She had regained her place in her family. She had hidden her unhappiness behind her smile. And after all his cruel words and hurtful deeds, she had put her life on the line to save him from the kidnappers.
He didn't deserve her. He didn't. She was a better human being than he could ever hope to be. She deserved better, but he couldn't let her go. If she left him, he would... he would... die...
Six months of living in the same room as her, trying to hate her and failing, enjoying the tricks she played on him, pining for her as she lay on the bed and he lay on the recliner night after night, trying hard to douse the flame of love in their hearts and failing...
He gazed at Khushi's still form. How he had longed to wake her up every morning with a kiss! To touch her soft cheeks, to smooth that truant strand of hair from her cheek, see those lovely eyes open... He had never done any of these, only wanted, desperately, to do them...
What was stopping him now? Nothing. Arnav smiled gently. He got up from the recliner and moved to the bed on soft feet.
He looked down at her sleeping form.
He knew that he loved her more than his life. But he couldn't tell her that now. She wouldn't believe him. She wouldn't want to believe him. Her focus would be on Di's well-being and her plan to leave RM in 12 days.
And he knew that she loved him more than her life. But she wouldn't admit it. Not if it killed her. Because admitting her love would be detrimental to Di's future and happiness. And because he had been in his usual nasty ASR avatar last night. The contract marriage! Payal's future! The nonsense he had spouted! If she had dared him to do his worst and tried to march out of RM, he would have been stumped. Thankfully, her kind heart and her love for her Jiji had rescued him from a messy coil.
Arnav sat down by Khushi, his loving eyes taking in her beauty, his heart taking comfort from the way her chest was rising & falling as she breathed. She was alive. He was alive. In spite of the machinations of Shyam, they were both alive. They had been given a second chance to live. Together. And he was no fool to let it go. Or to sit and watch Khushi let it go. Not for Di. Not for his family. Not for anybody.
He needed a strategy. His sharp brain quickly considered and discarded many ideas to keep Khushi with him even when the contract marriage was over. A business-like approach wouldn't work with her. He had to think with his heart. But... but how could he think with his heart? He had never done so before!
As he watched, Khushi turned towards him, curling her hand under her cheek. The strand of hair on her cheek beckoned him. He caressed the strand away and tucked it behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on the delicate, sensitive skin. Khushi's eyes fluttered open.
Arnav looked into her eyes, sleep still lingering in them, awareness of him and his touch evident in them. Then he knew what to do, how to think with his heart... All he had to do was shower her with love, all the love he felt for her, show her again and again how much she meant to him, love her in all the ways he had wanted desperately to love her in the past few months... She wouldn't be able to refuse him. She couldn't pretend not to see or feel his love.
He looked down at her. What did he really want to do at that moment, he asked his heart. The answer was quick & clear. He badly wanted to kiss her cheek. The thought had barely entered his mind when he put it into action. He bent forward and kissed her cheek, breathing in her jasmine scent, savouring the softness of her plump cheek that was still warm from the cosiness of the pillow...
He lifted his head slightly. Khushi was staring at him in astonishment, her cheeks rosy.
"The twelfth day." he reminded her softly, a smile dancing in his eyes. "Twelve days for me to persuade you to give our marriage a chance."
Khushi sat up in shock. What had happened during the night? She put a hand to her forehead. He Devi Maiyya! This rapid shift between the personalities of ASR and Arnavji would drive her mad one day!
His eyes ran over her form, relishing the dips and the curves. Feeling his eyes on her, Khushi lifted her head to look at him. And began looking frantically for her dupatta.
Arnav asked himself, what do I want to do right now? The answer his heart gave him was to hug Khushi as tightly as possible. The next moment, Khushi found herself hauled in to his arms, falling against his broad, muscular chest, her arms automatically going around his shoulders. He pulled her in to his embrace, as close as humanly possible, and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
Khushi hyperventilated. Arnav enjoyed her breathlessness which he shared, loved the rapid beating of her heart which found a similar rhythm in his, and relished the softening of her body against his. He ran his fingers down her back, making her tremble against him. Arnav shut his eyes in pleasure and relief. She would never leave him. She could never leave him.
They stayed together, locked in each other's arms for long moments, till Khushi recollected the events of the past night and tried to pull away.
Arnav let her ease away, slightly.
"Tum theek ho, Khushi?' he asked, his palm cupping her face, his concerned eyes running over her pale face. The tears, the anxiety, the pain of the past few days, they were all etched on her face.
"I am fine." Khushi repled, making her way out of the cradle of his arms with great difficulty. "You don't have to worry about me, Mr. Raizada." She waited for him to blow up.
"How can Mr. Raizada not worry about Mrs. Raizada?" Arnav asked evenly.
"Very easily." Khushi replied. "I suggest you practice it. You will need it after 12 days." She scrambled off the bed and moved towards the bathroom.
Arnav let her go.
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