Chapter 43
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love_iqbal_khan 2016-04-03 21:02:09
Previous Chapter: Page 27
Chapter 34: Thursday 'Date' Night
Arnav weaved through the busy traffic of Thursday afternoon, his spirits soaring high despite the nuisances of rush hour commute. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as if that would make his car accelerate faster or make the other drivers on the road clear the way for him.
Despite his dull annoyance at the traffic, he couldn't wipe off the small smile that seemed to have been tattooed on his face all day. At least his employees had a field day without a single yelling-session from him.
He could remember, with crystal clarity, the looks on everyone's faces as he left the office promptly at 5pm, dressed in jeans, runners, and a plain navy t-shirt. It was a novelty that he was leaving exactly at 5 and then to top that surprise, he'd walked out in casual clothing. His staff must think he was going crazy.
Going crazy he was...because of a certain Ms nee Dr. Gupta.
He reached Payal's house mere a couple minutes before the time he was expected. An odd sense of anticipatory excitement built within his chest. By the time he rang the doorbell and waited for the door to open, his heart was thundering, in preparation to see a glimpse of Khushi.
He was a tad disappointed when a grinning NK opened the door instead.
"What's up bro?" NK greeted him enthusiastically.
"Uh...Hi..." Arnav managed, quickly masking the disappointment lest he offend NK.
"I know you don't want to see my face right now but Khushi just ran back to her room to get something. Why don't you come in?" NK offered, stepping out of the way.
Arnav's eyes instantly flickered over the empty room behind NK. It seemed oddly quiet.
"Buaji and Aunty aren't home. They went to buy some gifts for their relatives." NK answered the question that had just begun to form in Arnav's mind.
Nodding in response, Arnav walked into the house and took a seat on the couch. He raised his eyebrows at NK when he picked up his phone from the coffee table and began walking away.
"Oh don't look at me like that. I'm not going to be looming over your heads on your date night." NK rolled his eyes. "Have a good time...and just bring her home before dawn, will you? Buaji just might get an aneurism if Khushi isn't at the table in the morning."
Arnav scoffed and gave a small laugh. "Don't worry...I'll bring her back...besides...if we don't come back, you can cover our asses."
"Yeah, because that's the only purpose I was born to serve." NK snorted and gave a half-wave, half-salute to Arnav in a parting greeting. "Bye Arnav...Bye Khushi!"
Arnav immediately glanced in the direction of the stairs to see Khushi rushing down them, two steps at a time.
"Bye NK!" she smiled wide at her ex-fiance and made her way towards Arnav.
"Okay...now I'm ready! Let's go." She came to a stop a couple steps from the couch and he stood slowly.
His entire being was immediately tossed into a day in the past, some four years back.
There she stood...the Khushi he'd always known, the one he had fallen in love with.
She wore black converse sneakers, navy blue skinny jeans, and a light grey hoodie with GAP' written on it in bold Navy letters. Her face accentuated with minimal make-up as usual, while her hair was piled high on her head in a messy bun. He noticed that she'd pulled up one of her sleeves to mid-forearm, a thin black hair tie around her wrist of the same arm.
Yeap. Definitely his Khushi.
"From the look on your face, I'm assuming this is what you'd meant when you said you wanted to see a glimpse of the old Khushi." She smirked at him, walking up to him, wrapping her arms around his torso.
She felt his arms go around her almost immediately. He dipped his head to kiss the space between her brows, then the tip of her nose, and then finally her lips.
All too soon, he pulled away and she groaned lightly in protest. With his hands still cradling her face delicately, he chuckled at her somewhat sullen expression at the end of their kiss.
"I hope you react the same way by the end of the night." Arnav winked.
"I guess you'll have to find out at the end of the night." Khushi beamed up at him.
She pulled his head down and boldly pressed her lips to his. She surprised him further by playfully catching his lower lip between hers. Her heart swelled in triumph at the instant change in his body language.
One of his hands left her face only to wrap around her nape, holding her in place, silently urging her to continue what she had started. She wasn't going to give in so easily, however.
She gently sunk her upper teeth into his trapped lip and then let go of him completely. She broke the kiss and unwrapped her hands from around him at the same time, leaving him bereft of her touch.
He groaned in protest, just as she had earlier, then moved his hand from her nape to her waist and dipped his head to capture her luscious lips again but she turned her head swiftly, providing her cheek as the landing spot for his kiss.
"How did you like the taste of your own medicine?" She teased when he frowned at her.
He blinked at her and then pulled her with the help of his arm around her waist. A gasp escaped her at the sudden move which pressed her body flush against his.
"Witch." He mouthed at her.
"You're the one who called her back." She whispered, her smugness fading fast as her eyes glued to his lips, watching the way they'd moved to form the one word he'd just spoken.
She could see the faint impression of her teeth on his lower lip and the sight instantly brought heat to her cheeks.
Arnav saw the emotion in her eyes change from playful to something else. With inhuman effort, he swallowed to clear his throat.
"If we don't leave now...my plans for us today will be just plans." He spoke quietly, his voice huskily laced with desire.
That seemed to catch her attention. She looked up at him with a smile of excitement adorning her face.
"What plans?"
Arnav scoffed jokingly. "You think I'm going to tell you after the stunt you just pulled?"
"Please?" Khushi scrunched her nose, looking far younger than her years.
Arnav laughed at her expression. "No way, tiny."
"Khadoos." She twitched her lips in annoyance.
"Your one and only." His voice was full of mirth as he tucked her into his side and started walking out of the house.
Like the gentleman that he was, he opened the door and waited for her to sit in the car before he walked around to take his own. As soon as he closed his door, he reached towards the backseat and produced his iPod.
He held it out to Khushi and waited for the couple seconds it took for her to understand that he was handing it to her. "You're the DJ for the next hour or so." He explained, seeing her puzzled expression.
"Where're we going?" She questioned, plugging in the aux-in cable.
"You'll find out soon enough." A small smile played on his lips while he expertly pulled out of the driveway just as the first notes of I Gotta Feeling' by the Black Eyed Peas drifted into the confined of the car.
I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night
His lips curved in a genuine smile at the song she had so aptly chosen. Tonight was going to be a good night, indeed. He reached over with his left hand and took hold of her right, pulling their joined hands into his lap while he continued to drive one-handed.
They chatted over the music on their drive, pausing occasionally when Khushi started singing along to some parts of some songs. She was, by no means, a great singer but she sang anyways. It must be the new dancing hobby she'd been imploring. Arnav's amusement mounted as he watched her practically dancing in her seat as she sang along to some songs, her hand never leaving his.
She'd been so busy with the music, singing, dancing, and talking that she didn't even realize when he'd pulled into the farm house's driveway.
"Why are we here?" She questioned, looking around the area confusedly.
Khushi recalled the last time they were here--trying to balance their equation, trying to escape Payal and Anjali's company, desperately seeking solitude. Yet, the abrupt phone call informing them that Akash had broken the engagement was the most distinct memory. Khushi couldn't fathom why he had brought her here.
The sun was against the horizon, spilling hues of red, yellow, and orange over the world. Khushi, even in her jeans and hoodie, took on an unearthly glow in the lighting. Arnav stopped in front of her door, which he'd held open for her, and stared at her for a few long moments, taking in the magnificent sight that was the woman he was madly in love with.
When she raised her eyebrows in question, he shook his head and held out his hand to her. She slid her small hand into his large one enthusiastically, walking alongside him as he led them into the house.
"You hungry?" He questioned as they walked into the warm and inviting living room.
"Not yet." She shrugged.
He nodded in acknowledgement. "Why don't you pick a movie for us to watch...I'll set out some snacks."
"Are we expecting anyone else?" She questioned.
He smiled seeing the tinge of disappointment in her eyes. He reached up to touch her cheek with his fingertips as he shook his head. "Just you and me, Khush."
Fifteen minutes later, Khushi was ready with a movie and Arnav returned holding a big bowl of popcorn and two bottles of beer, and a bottle of coke in his other hand.
He shrugged lightly and held up the hand holding three perfectly balanced bottles. "I didn't know what you'd prefer."
"I'll take both." She grabbed the two bottles and nodded towards the movie on the table. "You think you remember the lines?"
Arnav's expression sobered instantly as he glanced at the DVD case on the table in front of them. "Not all of them. I haven't seen this movie since..."
Khushi's eyes snapped to his when he trailed off, leaving his sentence incomplete, yet saying everything he needed to. He turned to face her slowly, meeting her eyes almost sheepishly. She held his gaze for a long few moments, unable to come up with something to say.
He hadn't watched the movie--one of his personal favourites...their personal favourite--since she'd left. An emotion swelled in her chest and it took her a few moments to realize that it was sympathy. Hadn't she done the same and abstained herself from anything that reminded her of him?
She realized that he was trying to read her expression, decipher it, and it made her wonder just what exactly her face was portraying at that moment. She gathered herself quickly and kissed him tenderly.
"Time to refresh our memory then..." she murmured against his lips.
She left his side briefly to insert the disc into the player and then returned back to her spot with mounting enthusiasm. As soon as she had taken her seat, his arm wrapped around her again, pulling her into his side possessively. As the movie began on the screen in front of them, Khushi rested her head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath.
"Remember, Remember the fifth of November, the gun powder treason and plot." Khushi spoke along with the opening narration. "I know of no reason why gun powder treason should ever be forgot."
From that moment and on, they resumed their customary movie time where they spoke along with the characters. As they watched more of the movie, they were both amused at how much of V for Vendetta they actually remembered despite all these years.
Arnav registered that Khushi held her breath during the classic dominoes scene in the movie--from the moment the lead character knocks over the first till the entire formation falls--even though she knew exactly what would happen at the end of the scene. It was something she did every time, just as he clenched and unclenched his jaw during the climatic sword fight.
Long after the movie was done, when the credits had finished rolling on the screen, they sat in companionable silence, each reveling in the nostalgic joy the movie session had brought with it. The room was considerably dark now, lit subtly by the TV's glow and the light spilling from the dim lamp next to the couch.
Khushi's stomach growled and the next moment Arnav's laughter boomed in the still quiet of the room.
"Let's get some food into you before you bite my head off for starving you." Arnav stood from the couch and pulled a reluctant Khushi with him.
"Honestly...I wouldn't mind stuffing myself with instant noodles right now...I don't really want to go out for dinner." She looked at him sheepishly.
"Who says we're going out? Baby, I'm bringing the food to you." He winked.
"Another endearment?" She raised an eyebrow, wrapping her arms around his neck.
A corner of his lips lifted in an impish smile. "I don't know...I'm still testing it. Khush and Tiny are still my favourites."
"Mine too..." she whispered, holding his twinkling eyes in an intimate gaze.
He lowered his head and swept her into another kiss. Just as the tender gesture was beginning to heat up, the doorbell interrupted them rudely.
"That would be dinner." He pulled away from her and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Why don't you go wash up..."
She nodded at him and rushed towards the washroom to wash her hands while Arnav walked to the door to pay the delivery man.
Five minutes later when Khushi returned, a mouth-watering aroma infiltrated her nostrils, instantly doubling her hunger in that moment. She heard, rather than saw, him open a bottle with a definite clink of the metal cap on the wooden table.
Just as she had assumed, when she walked into the kitchen, she found him setting a bottle of beer on presumably her spot at the table. A wide grin made its way to her lips.
"A date where a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers are the preferred outfit, a chatty evening drive with awesome music, a political-thriller movie, and Pizza with beer for dinner...you really know how to woo a girl, Raizada." She slid into her seat with a dancer's grace, immediately claiming all of his attention.
"Well...unique preparations for a different kind of a girl. I assumed she would prefer this over a fancy dinner..." he strived for nonchalance but in his mind, he worried whether she was disappointed with the evening so far.
She cleared his doubts the next moment. "You assumed right." She delicately pulled up a still-hot slice of Pizza and took a generous bite. A groan of appreciation hummed in her throat as the flavor dominated her taste buds. "Be careful though...you'll spoil me."
He only grinned proudly in response and bit into his own slice of Pizza. Much like their drive here, their dinner consisted of lots of talking and lots of laughter. Stories from their past were brought to the forefront as they recalled numerous humorous incidents.
Arnav noted with a sense of familiarity that she still had her freakish appetite. He had always admired her habit of eating whatever she pleased, whenever she pleased without a care in the world of how many calories it contained unlike other women her age.
"What's next?" She was brimming with excitement as she placed her empty beer bottle back on the table.
Arnav took a leisurely last swig of his own drink, testing her patience. She had just narrowed her eyes at him when he placed his bottle next to hers and smirked at her, a hint of challenge twinkling in his eyes.
"Let's see if you've still got your skills on Call of Duty."
Her eyebrows perked high on her forehead. "I'm going to kick your ass."
Arnav scoffed as they both entered into their competitive zones. "Not if I kick yours first."
An hour and a half later, Khushi sat with a disapproving frown on her face while Arnav smirked triumphantly.
"Told you I'd--"
"Oh, shut up!" Khushi cut him off. "You totally cheated there."
"Did I?"
"You did! You distracted me..." She sulked.
"All I said was that I wanted to kiss you."
She tossed the game controller on the coffee table and stood to face him in a huff, her hands on her hips. "Exactly...because you knew that would distract me!"
In a move so quick that she barely had time to react, He'd tossed his controlled on the table, shot out with his arm, pulled her onto the couch, and pinned her beneath him. A gasp of surprise escaped her at the sudden movement and the next moment her breath hitched in her throat finding his face inches away from her own.
"You think I said that just to distract you?"
She fluttered her eyelids, battling with her own self for control over her body, as his breath caressed her face intimately. "Y-Yes..."
He dropped his head until their lips were less than a centimeter away. "Really?"
"Y...I...Yes."
He smiled at her stubbornness even in the face of the impending lip-lock. "Stop me if you want."
She looked at him with a small frown, suddenly confused. "What?"
"Stop me if you want, Khushi." He watched her frown deepen as he used her name instead of any other endearments he had conjured up for her. "If you think this is moving too fast...if you feel like I'm rushing you into--"
She would never know how he had intended on finishing that sentence because she hadn't wanted to hear it. For what reason he had gotten the idea that she would feel rushed, she couldn't fathom. Unable to bear having his face so close, yet out of reach, she had closed the small gap with a tilt of her head, stilling his moving lips in an effective manner.
When he pulled away a moment later, he found himself amused at the small smile on her face. She was smiling as if she were enjoying a private joke.
"What's so funny?"
She shook her head, reassuring him that she wasn't laughing at him. "It's a Dj vu...I'm pretty sure I had a dream similar to this..."
He looked at her blankly, trying to understand her words completely. She reached up and touched her fingertips to his cheek.
"A dream about us...like this. Being more than friends." She explained quietly.
He suppressed a chuckle and a devilish smirk made its way to his lips. "Sweetheart, if I could relive every dream I've had of you...let's just say tonight would turn out quite scandalous."
She glanced away and bit her lower lip, crimson flooding her cheeks, as the meaning of his statement settled in a happy corner of her mind. She gasped lightly when she felt his warm lips against the skin of her cheek a moment later.
"I still can't get over your blushing..." his warm breath caressed her cheeks sensuously, making her skin erupt in goosebumps.
His words only brought on another rush of blood to her face, deepening her already rosy cheeks, spreading more colour on the rest of her face.
He left a trail of feather-light kisses leading from the centre of her cheek to the corner of her mouth. Smirking to himself, he left three torturously slow kisses at the corner of lips, teasing her, challenging her to take control.
When she grew impatient, she groaned lightly and turned her face just enough so that his lips landed on hers on his fourth kiss. He didn't know whether his surprise was greater or his satisfaction but a guttural sound escaped him when her fingers twisted in his hair.
The heat generated spontaneously, trickling into their lip lock with a definitive impact. He wasted no time in parting her lips with his tongue, deepening their kiss, awakening a string of desire in her. She was only too eager to reciprocate.
It wasn't long before her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. A new burning also began low and lethal in her belly, making her squirm beneath him. He gently sunk his teeth into her plump lower lip as if warning her to stay still.
Her responding moan made the blood in his veins roar in want. He felt her try to take a deep breath in the fleeting moment when his lips weren't molding against hers. Realizing that he may be nearly suffocating her, he aimed his kisses away from her lips, tracing a path across her jaw line, down the side of her long neck, coming to a stop at the junction of her neck and shoulder.
Her eyes flew open at the gentle suction he applied. Apart from the delicious feeling that ran the length of her body, she felt something else...something unexpected--A hint of alarm. She stilled and frowned lightly.
"If you give me a love bite, I'll kill you." Even though she was breathless, the warning in her tone was clear, utterly serious.
Yet he burst into laughter. The husky, rumbling sound vibrated against the skin of her neck and shoulder, bringing a grin to her face.
His unguarded laughter was such a rarity that every time he laughed this way, she felt an inexplicable wave of joy. She suspected that this laughter of his could instantly put her in a good mood on any given day.
When he reared his head to look at her, amusement and mirth twinkled in his eyes along with the simmering flame of desire. She swallowed to clear her throat.
"Count on you to slam the brakes on a make-out session." He kissed the tip of her nose. "What's wrong with love bites?"
Khushi frowned in concentration for a couple of moments, trying to figure out why she had stopped him. "I...I don't know...its sort of...sort of like branding."
"Oh..." he blinked. That' wasn't what he'd expected to hear.
"I'm sorry...you're not offended, are you?" She caressed his cheek, hoping that her touch would remove any sense of offense.
"No," He assured quickly. "Of course not... Bad communication has gotten the best of us once and I'll be damned if I let that get in between us again. I want us to have open and honest communication, Khush. I know I'll get carried away with you and I'm glad that I can count on you to tell me to stop when you don't like something I've done."
She lowered her eyes as if she were ashamed by what she said next. "This is all...new to me. I don't have as much as experience as..."
She stopped abruptly. When she had agreed to give this relationship a much deserved chance, she had decided that she wasn't going to remind him of his past or his throng of ex-girlfriends.
"As me?" He finished for her, his voice laden with guilt.
He sat up gently and then helped her sit up next to him. Once he had relaxed back on the couch, he pulled her onto his lap so that she sat facing him. She wrapped her arms around his neck while his hands snaked around her waist, holding her with obvious possessiveness.
He sat there quietly for a long moment and Khushi felt disappointed with herself for digging up old graves. She could feel his mood slipping and she rummaged through her desire-hazed mind to find healing words.
"Look, baby, I've got nothing to say in my defense," He grimaced. "I was young, I was stupid...I was a scum. But for all it's worth...I'm sorry. I really am."
"That's not what I meant..." she started hastily and he shook his head, interrupting her mid-sentence.
"I know...but still. The facts remain." He smiled sadly. "I want you to know that I'll spend the rest of my life making up for it, if that's what it takes. After what I've put you through, I may asking for too much but I just need you to trust me. To trust that I'll never be that jerk again. To trust my words when I say that I love you..."
"Arnav, I wouldn't be here with you if I didn't trust that." She moved one of hands so that her palm and fingers were curved around the side of his neck, while her thumb caressed his cheek. "And about the whole experience thing...I was just pointing out that I'm a novice in the world of...err...physical intimacy. I might be too slow sometimes..."
"Why do you look away as if that's something you're ashamed of?" He questioned, pulling her closer, willing her to look at him again. He dropped his voice, reassuring her. "It's not something you need to worry about, Khushi."
Relief flooded her features and a genuine smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He reached up with one hand and ran the pad of his thumb across her lips. Her eyes fluttered close at the soft touch.
"I think we'll make Thursday nights our date nights." His voice dropped several decibels.
"I like that idea. A lot." She shivered at the tantalizingly gentle touch of his thumb on her lip. She noticed the faint line between his eyebrows as he looked down at her. "What?"
"I didn't leave a love bite but..."
"But what?" She murmured when he trailed off, leaving his sentence incomplete.
His eyes flickered to hers and held. "Your lips are swollen."
A burst of red bloomed high in her cheeks and her throat convulsed as she swallowed. "That, I don't mind."
Before he could respond, she lowered her head and reignited the flame that she had put out rather abruptly earlier.
_____
"Whoa...what did you do to her?" NK teased, his voice a low whisper.
"Shut up." Arnav glowered even as a small smile played on his lips. "She fell asleep in the car...I didn't want to wake her."
Khushi made a low sound of content as she snuggled closer to Arnav's chest while he stood at the door-step, cradling her in his arms.
NK looked over his shoulders and glanced around the room quickly. He turned back to Arnav and nodded. "It's clear. Up the stairs, to the right. Get there before Buaji sees you. You're dead meat if she catches you carrying a comatose Khushi into the house."
"If you get out of my way, I might be able to walk in." Arnav spoke exasperatedly. NK jumped away to let Arnav through.
NK followed Arnav up the stairs and then directed him towards the guest room which was currently deemed Khushi's room.
He stood in the doorway and watched, with a sense of respect, as Arnav delicately laid Khushi on the bed.
With a gentle hand, Arnav took off her shoes and socks before he pulled the thin blanket over her up to her shoulders.
NK forgotten for the moment, Arnav sat on the small space next to her on the bed, his hands on either side of her. With the hand that wasn't on her other side, he reached up and brushed away strands of hair that had long escaped her messy updo.
Sleeping there, with a radiant glow on her face even in the dim lighting, the flush of pink which hadn't left her cheeks for most of the evening, and the plump, slightly swollen lips, she looked utterly at peace--as if she wanted nothing more from life.
Arnav could sit there and watch her the whole night but a movement behind him broke him out of his trance. When he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed that NK had left, leaving the door slightly ajar--closed enough to give them privacy but left open enough to know if Khushi needed some saving.
It was NK's way of letting Arnav know that even though all was well, NK would fight him to protect Khushi.
The thought brought a smile to Arnav's lips. Well, at least when she went back to Australia, she'd have someone to protect her.
Australia.
Arnav pursed his lips at the unwelcome reminder. Even though he denied it, pretended that he wasn't thinking about the impending departure, in his mind, he had a countdown going on. With each passing day the moment where they'd part ways got closer and all he could do was helplessly wait until that day.
He felt an inexplicable urgency every time his mind embarked on this thought. He felt as if something needed to be done before she left, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what.
Suddenly, she sighed softly in her sleep, too deep in her dreamland to wake up. When she mumbled his name--it sounded like she was whining about something--his heart swelled in his chest; something about male ego and knowing that he had claimed the dreams of the woman he is in love with...
He leaned closer until his lips touched her forehead. He let his touch linger against her skin, unable to pull himself away. Reluctantly, he finally stood and turned off the bedside lamp.
When he returned to the living room, NK was swiping furiously on his phone presumably playing a game.
"I'll get out of here so you can sleep." Arnav smiled apologetically. "Thank you again for watching our backs."
"Don't thank me just yet..." NK chuckled. "I'll cash in the favour some day."
Arnav chuckled softly in response. "Fair enough."
_____
"Come on, Chachi...please?" Arnav gave the lady a charming smile. "I think it would be good for them to spend some time together...besides...Anjali, Rohan and I will be there to keep an eye on them."
"He's right Manorama...while they're gone, we'll decide on an engagement date." Manohar suggested calmly.
Of course he was in on the whole plan. Arvind and Arnav had filled him in on the impending trip to Goa and everyone knew that Manorama would be a problem. Manohar didn't particularly like lying to her and making up these stories but he also understood that his son was an adult and needed some breathing space.
Payal was a wonderful girl and Akash was head-over-heels for her, he knew that. But even if she were the most perfect girl, Manorama would have never accepted her simply on the grounds that Akash had chosen her himself. Unfortunately, her mind was wired with these ridiculous notions and so called traditions.
"But them being alone together..." Manorama began.
Arvind jumped in to Akash's rescue. "Bhabhi let them go. Akash has already abided by your wishes of you finding a suitable girl for him and now that you've found her, let them spend some time with each other. It could help them see if they are compatible enough to spend the rest of their life together. They've known each other for a long time, yes, but that doesn't mean that they can be compatible as life partners."
"You're right about that...we have a perfect example here." Manorama made a rude sound halfway between a scoff and a snort. "Even though they are best friends...I don't think Arnav and Khushi are compatible at all."
Arvind felt Arnav stiffen next to him. For a second he worried that his son would say something cutting in response and ruin it for Akash. Luckily, Arnav remained quiet.
"Arnav bituwa...think through it once more. That girl is so...out there. With all of her guy friends and tattoos and the broken engagement!" Manorama said the last two words with extra bitterness, pushing Arnav to the edge of his patience.
"We were talking about Akash and Payal, Chachi." Arnav's voice was ice-cold, the underlying warning clear.
Arvind patted Arnav's knee as a silent reminder to stay calm. Arnav's arctic gaze, however, was on Manorama's judgmental face.
"I know but I say this out of concern for you. If she left him for you...what's to guarantee that she won't leave you for someone else?"
"Enough!" Arnav snapped, his voice several notches higher.
Arvind sank back in his seat, knowing that his son was out of reach for now. And if he were being honest, he didn't want Arnav to stop. He was actually proud of him for standing up for Khushi. He would never forgive Arnav if he didn't defend Khushi in her absence.
"I will not hear a single word against Khushi. You don't know her enough to say anything against her. With all due respect, Dad and Garima aunty have accepted the facts as they are and I don't need anyone else's approval. You can rule Akash's life if you'd like but my life is my business." Arnav stood with finality, fixing Manorama with a glacial stare. "And about your concern for me...it's probably better if you show that concern for Akash. You're lucky that Akash is your son. If it was anyone like me instead, they would have left long ago. For pity's sake...let him live in peace!"
Without a backward glance, Arnav stomped out of the house, irritated beyond belief with his Aunt. He knew that Akash and Payal who were sitting in the dining room we intently listening in to the conversation. Perhaps they were annoyed at him for blowing this whole thing for them but in that moment, he didn't care.
He was already irritated that they had to put on this faade simply so that Akash could marry the girl he wanted to. It wasn't as if Akash was bringing some deranged murderer for God's sakes! His irritation had mounted consistently through the whole conversation and her remark about Khushi...
How dare she?! How dare she judge Khushi based on her appearance; her tattoos! How dare she spew venomous words about the broken engagement when she didn't know any of the facts? How dare she even suggest that Khushi would be unfaithful to him?!
"You know...all that anger will give you hypertension someday..." her voice infiltrated through the scarlet haze of rage a few minutes later.
He glanced up, surprised, at the woman walking his way. This was new. Perhaps out of the six of them, these two had been the least close. Yet, in a time when he was so upset and Khushi wasn't around, she was here to talk to him. Why?
"Is Khushi's medical terminology rubbing off on you?" He questioned, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"Something like that." She came to a stop next to him. "You alright?"
He sighed heavily. "I don't know, Payal."
She looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with that. If Akash and I--"
"You don't have to apologize for it Payal. It's not your fault." He looked at her steadily. "You two are in a relationship. You love each other and you should be together. As his cousin and your friend, I owe it to you two to do everything I can to help you."
Her eyes skittered away guiltily at Arnav's words. Here he was, trying to help out her and Akash while she hadn't done anything but make matters worse for him and Khushi. What the hell were these two made of?!
"Let it go Payal." He muttered as if he had read her mind. "All's well that ends well."
Payal offered a small smile even though the guilt didn't subside. Then, another emotion that she'd felt earlier came to the forefront. Pride. In him.
"Thank you for defending Khushi." Payal smiled up at him, her expression showing exactly how proud she was of him...
He chuckled softly as if she had recited a joke. "I'll defend that crazy woman till my last breath. I just hope I haven't made things worse for you and Akash for this trip."
"It's all taken care of." Akash joined them, a small smile on his face. "Your parting sentence gave dad and uncle some leverage. And at the perfect time, Di called."
"Akash, if she doesn't want me to go..." Payal began nervously.
Yes, she wanted to be with her friends and Akash but she didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with her future mother-in-law.
"If you flush our hard work down the drain, I'll kill you." Arnav frowned good humouredly.
"And if you three are late to work, I'll cancel your leave." Arvind chuckled as he passed by them on his way to the driveway.
"He's right." Akash nodded. "As it is, Bhai will probably stay at the office until he has to get to the airport...poor Khushi will have to put up with this workaholic for the rest of her life."
Akash and Payal chuckled while Arnav rolled his eyes. "I was a workaholic because she wasn't around. And of all people, you shouldn't complain about me working my ass off...I pick up your slack."
"Slack being you meticulously going over everything I've already done to find the tiniest errors?" Akash raised an eyebrow as they three made their way back into the house to collect their belongings.
"That typo I found--"
"It wasn't a big deal! I had an extra s'. That's all!" Akash was exasperated. "Would you let that go already?"
Payal rolled her eyes as the two cousins continued their playful banter. She didn't interrupt them in the hopes that if they got all their business talk out of their systems now, no one would have to deal with it for the next week and they could just sit and relax on the beach.
She scoffed inwardly. Who are you kidding, Payal? They'll be discussing mergers under those damned beach umbrellas.
Next Chapter: Page 59
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