Series of FF's on Arnav & Khushi : updated pg 165 - Page 35

That was seriously a treat to read!

I recently joined this forum ,but have been following your FF for weeks now. I love it! You are a good writer. Keep the updates coming!

superb please pm me when you update the next time

me to getting ready for arhi marriage 😳
can you please pm me next time when you udpate

woahhh!!! nice one!!!

Woah so they are getting married. Go khushi show arnav, u r no docile girl. The war has begun. Cant wait. Pls update soon.

Yeaaa...the war is on!!

There was a slight winter chill in the air, as the October sun shone gently through a perfect blue sky. Arnav and Aakash were already at the temple waiting for Payal and Khushi to arrive in the other car.

The morning breeze carried her fragrance to Arnav as soon as she stepped out of the car and he turned slowly towards the temple steps where she was walking up with Payal beside her.

Her head was covered with a red dupatta and she was walking demurely with her eyes looking down. He was reminded of the time he had stormed out of his room after throwing the dupatta at Lavayna, and found her at his bedroom door, the same dupatta on her head. Her beauty had fascinated him as she had shyly removed it while he had just been unable to look away.

Coming back to the present, he continued to check her out as she neared him. A small gold tika glittered on her forehead, complimenting the rest of the simple gold jewellery. The white and gold sari draped gracefully on her slim frame, the red dupatta on her head the only splash of colour. Green and gold glass bangles jangled on her otherwise bare hands. He felt a sudden rush of regret, that he had deprived her of a proper wedding with all the finery. Along with the regret also came a feeling of warmth – for someone, who was anti marriage, Arnav Singh Raizada suddenly felt that marrying Khushi was the right thing he was doing, all other reasons put side.

Not once did she look up and meet his eyes. She walked numbly, as her mind was completely blank all of a sudden. As she neared, she saw his trouser clad feet, and realised that he was dressed in his business suit. This was also a contract after all, she thought hysterically, another contract to bind her to him. This was why that dupatta meant for Lavanyaji had landed on her head that day, the sindoor and his breaking her fast on Teej … so many signs and leading to … this?

The pandit chanted the marriage mantras, and Khushi's pale face showed no emotion as they walked together around the fire; as he put the mangalsurta around her neck; as he filled her forehead with the vermillion sindoor. She kept her eyes downcast all the time, not wanting to meet his eyes – fearing what she would see there. Somewhere in her heart she knew that she could not have endured the hatred in them, today of all the days. Panditji finally put Khushi's pale hand in Arnav's calloused one and blessed them with happiness and many lives together … all that she held sacred to the marriage wows and all that he did not believe in.

Jiji came forward to hug her and Khushi mustered up a watery smile for her and Jiju who was hugging Arnav next to her.

'Lunch is on me,' announced Aakash jiju, 'we'll go somewhere nice to celebrate.'

'I have to go to office, Aakash,' Arnav said curtly.

'But today is your wedding day…' Aakash started.

'It's okay, jiju' Khushi whispered hoarsely, her first words of the day, 'I'm not feeling too well either, and want to go back and rest.' There was no point in prolonging this any further for either of them.

'I'll come home early and we'll go out for dinner instead,' Arnav suddenly added. Now where did that come from, he groaned. Why had he felt bad hearing her quivering voice; why did he suddenly want to make it okay for her?

'Chalo, theek hain,' Aakash added gratefully, breaking the tense atmosphere. 'Dinner it is then. I'll make the bookings.'

Akash and Payal turned and walked towards the car that the girls had earlier arrived in, automatically assuming that the newly weds would like to be alone in the other car that Arnav had driven.

Left alone they stood in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes. Arnav suddenly turned towards Khushi and started to say something, when he noticed her pale face and blank expression. She swayed a little on her feet and before he could react, she tumbled into his chest in a faint. Arnav's arms came around her slight frame automatically, preventing her from falling on to the marble floors of the mandir.

As she slumped against him, he gently removed the red dupatta covering her head, to allow some air to reach her, all the while holding her against him with his other hand. In the pale morning sunlight, he skin looked translucent and Arnav quelled a strong urge to touch her face.

He then scooped her up into his arms and walked across to where his car was parked. Opening the passenger door with his left hand, all the while trying to balance her, so that she may not topple, he placed her gently in the passenger seat.

He was grateful for the silence on the short drive back to the farmhouse. It helped him gather his thoughts … before getting down to dealing with Shyam Jha, he had to first tackle Lavanya and the rest of his family immediately. And Di … he again felt the pain of frustration that he was unable to keep this sorrow away from her. 'I've removed one obstacle from their path,' he assured himself guiltily. But do you want an unfaithful man to be married to your sister, a small niggling voice asked him.

As he drove up the curved driveway, Arnav noticed that the other car had not returned back as yet. What was Aakash upto now, he thought irritated. More of this 'leave-them-alone' thing, I suppose.

He carried Khushi to her room next to his study and placed her gently on the bed. He draped the red dupatta that he had crumpled into one hand while carrying her, on to the dresser chair, and returned to the bed to stare down at her prone form for a few seconds.

Then as if taking a decision, he sat down gently beside her, and slowly started removing her jewellery. The task of first removing her tika, and then the flowers from her hair was soon turning into an uncomfortable one for Arnav. His trembling hands touch her ear lobe and she shivered slightly in her comatose state. He slowly removed first one earring then the other and added them quietly to the growing pile on the bedside table. His hand went to her neck next to remove the necklace that was uncomfortably lodged along with the small mangalsutra that he had placed there a little while ago. He stared at it for a while, as if registering that she was actually his wife now, then started disentangling the two to be able to remove them.

He added the necklace to the jewellery pile, and stopped himself when he came to the mangalsutra. Something made him want to leave it there, nestled in her cleavage showing from the top of her brocade blouse. The blouse, he noted distracted, was stitched minus all the usual glitter and pompoms, and then coming to an abrupt decision, he left the mangalsutra where it was, along with a few bangles on the wrist. Let her remove it herself, if she wanted to, he thought harshly.

He stood suddenly, a part of him not wanting to leave her, to continue the task of removing her bridal finery, to make her his in every sense of the word.

His hand went into his trouser pocket and he pulled out a small velvet jewellery box, which he proceeded to open. From the deep violet satin folds he took out a small platinum ring encrusted with a single solitaire. Gently lifting her left hand, he slid it into her ring finger.

In a sentimental moment yesterday, he had gone to the family jeweler and picked up this ring for her. He had had no idea when or where he was going to give it to her, or even if she was going to accept it, after all that had happened yesterday.

Now, suddenly, he felt glad that he had, as he watched it glitter on her slim tapered fingers.

He had made her his, he thought with a sudden smile, as he turned and walked out of the room, calling Aakash to find out where they were and that they needed to get home to be with his wife.

res
edit: that's great that finally Arhi are married
Arnav's emotions are mind blowing, credit goes to you
Fab work...you are getting better day by day
Aw, he bought her a ring?? that's so sweet
Thanks for the pm!

this update left me all teary and happy at the same time.. loved the last part where arnav puts the ring on her finger and makes her his.. its soo simple yet soo meaningful!