Hello there people, here's the much awaited date. This turned out to be rather long. I even considered breaking it up into multiple parts, but then decided against it. That, of course, means that you guys don't get to pester me for another update soon! This one specially goes out to Chicky for putting up with the very sulky me :-)
~Part 33~
Khushi wasn't sure why she was feeling nervous all of a sudden. It wasn't like she hadn't been in his car alone ever before. In fact, all those times they didn't even have any positive vibes out in the open. She realized that that was what was making her nervous. The fact that the shield of hatred and arguments and accusations was no longer there to hide behind.
She was about to open her mouth to break the silence when Arnav said "Tumhe darr lag raha hai?"
She looked at him and said "Kya? Kis baat se?"
"Pata nahi. You're fiddling with your dupatta again" he said while looking straight ahead.
"Er.. nahi woh toh hum bas" she left her dupatta on her lap and continued "Hum kahaa ja rahe hai?"
"Date pe" Arnav rolled his eyes.
"Haan par kahaa?"
"Jab pahunchogi toh samajh jaaogi"
"Arre hume bataaiye toh" she said turning to him "achcha ye toh bataaiye ki kab tak pahunchenge?"
"You will see" he said giving her a hint of a smile as he looked ahead "Itni jaldi hai tumhe?"
"Hume bhook lagi hai na!" said Khushi rubbing her tummy "bag bhi aapke bed par hai varne usme se hi kuch khaa lete"
"Kya?" he said "bhook lagi hai tumhe? Lekin hum koi restaurant mei nahi jaa rahe"
"Kya?!"
"Haan! Maine tumse nahi kahaa ki hum restaurant mei jaa rahe hai.. maine kaha date par jaa rahe hai. Meri marzi hai mai tumhe jahaa chaahu le jaaunga"
"Achcha?" said Khushi sitting straight on her seat, slumping her shoulders.
Arnav smiled at her sideways. She scowled at him and sat up again.
"Aapne kahaa ki khaana khayenge" she said.
"Oh maine aise kaha? Slip of the tongue" he said casually.
They drove in silence for a bit before Arnav got an official call. She stared at him in disbelief as he spoke on the phone throughout their drive. She tried to keep a track of the roads, but after they moved away from the jam packed highway, it was all rather dark. Unexpectedly, Arnav pulled up in front of a huge gate and honked. The guard squinted at the number plate of the car and then hurriedly opened the gate.
Khushi tried to see where they were going but even though there were lights after they entered the gate, all she could see were trees on either side of the road. She saw that they were in the middle of a very well maintained, large garden of sorts. Straight ahead, she could see a huge, old fashioned house. It was almost impossible to see the house from even a bit far as there were huge trees and all sorts of plants right up until the entrance. Somehow, Khushi thought it natural that Arnav would bring her to a place surrounded with his favorite things - plants and trees.
Arnav finished his call just as they pulled up in front of the house. He smiled at her and gestured her to get out.
"Kitni khoobsurat jagah hai. Kisika ghar hai kya?" she said.
"Well, it's a small resort of sorts. Kaafi chota hai, lekin Delhi mei isse badi jagah toh mil nahi sakti. Mere ek friend ka tha. Woh US shift ho raha tha toh maine khareed li ye garden develop karne ke liye. Akele rehne ka mann hota hai toh yahi aata hu" he said leaning against his car, looking at the house with folded arms.
"Aap ghar pe aur office pe bhi akele hi rehte hai" she said softly, looking at the peaceful look on his face.
He looked at her and said "You mean rehna chaahta hu. Di kabhi rehne nahi deti. Aur ab toh tum bhi aa gayi ho. I don't remember the last time I got some lone time."
"Oh?" she said placing her hands on her hips "Hume maaf kijiye ki hum baar baar aapke peeche aa jaate hai. Kabhi studio mei, kabhi changing room mei, aur kabhi ghar pe"
"Achcha toh tum keh rahi ho ki mai tumhaare peeche aata hu?"
"Ji nahi, ye toh aap khud keh rahe hai" she said and grinned at him.
Arnav shook his head and took her hand to walk into the house. As they entered, a guy walked towards them and said "Arnav baba, sab rakh diya hai kitchen mei"
"Theek hai" replied Arnav "tum jaao. Aur baaki sabko bhi bhej do. Kuch chahiye toh mai quarters mei call karunga"
"Ji" he said and left.
Arnav closed and locked the door and turned around to face Khushi, still holding her hand. They just looked at each other for a few moments. Khushi slowly felt her face heating up. She wasn't sure what was happening.
Arnav took a step towards her, dropped a kiss on the top of her head and looking into her face saying "Bhook lagi thi na tumhe?"
She blinked. "Er.. matlab.. haan.. par"
"Chalo" he said, and tugged at her arm. They walked into the kitchen together. The counters were heaped with all sorts of vegetables and other items.
He gestured at the counters and said "Kya khaogi?"
"Ji?" she said looking at him.
"Maine socha kisi hotel mei jaake random cheezei order karne se achcha hai ki hume jo chahiye hum khudi banaale?"
She looked at this man in front of her who never ceased to surprise her. She hadn't really thought about it, but she realized that she had assumed that they would go to some very formal, high end restaurant and eat with forks and knives and spoons. And here she was standing in front of him in a kitchen full of things.
She suddenly felt a surge of affection towards him when she realized he was going to eat what she would cook for him. She stepped forward to hug his arm and smiled up at him asking "Aapko kya khaana hai?"
He looked down at her smiling face and then at his arm which she was holding against herself. He could get used to this, he thought. Seeing him look at her show of familiarity, Khushi became flustered and stepped away saying "er.. woh.." and looked around.
He shook his head smilingly and pulled her into his arms, pulling his head back to look at her.
"Khaana hum saath mei banayenge. I'm not too bad" he said.
Khushi straightened the collar of his t shirt and said "Achcha? Toh kya banaana hai?"
He stepped away from her and pulled her arm to walk into the middle of the kitchen and said "Ye sab hai. Isse kya ban sakta hai?"
She looked around and said "Isse toh puuri baaraat ke liye khaana ban sakta hai. Kuch soch samajhkar nahi mangva sakte the?"
He shrugged and she continued "Hum paneer banaate hai.. aur aalu.. mutter bhi hai.. gobi ki sabji bhi banaa denge.. auk kya khayenge aap?"
He looked around and said "Rajma?"
She smiled and said "Theek hai. Chaaval ya roti?"
He thought for a minute and said "Parathe. Methi ke parathe chahiye mujhe"
"Toh mil jaayenge, sir" she said dramatically.
He smiled at her and said "Mujhe kya karna hai?"
She gestured to the counter and said "Wahaa baithna hai aur kisi cheez ko haath nahi lagana hai." She took off her dupatta and hung it on a hook. As she tied up her hair in a loose bun, Arnav felt a tug at his heart to see her getting so familiar with him.
"Maine kahaa na ki mai madad kar sakta hu" he said grumpily. She rolled her eyes and said "Achcha theek hai toh ye kaatiye" giving him some of the vegetables kept in a bowl.
Khushi couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun as she had in the next one hour. She laughed her heart out at some of Arnav's antics. While she had been familiar with his sarcastic side, his sense of humor was a complete revelation.
She cherished every moment with him. Every time he brushed against her while moving around, her heart skipped a beat. Every time he randomly dropped a kiss on her cheek, she would blush.
When she was kneading the dough, he unexpectedly came behind her and ran his hands up her arms and kissed her nape whispering "Mai help karu?"
She felt an alien desire course through her as he breathed against her neck and his lips moved against her nape even as she felt his hands settle on her tummy.
She turned her head and whispered on his forehead "Arnav.."
His only reply was to run his lip up her neck until just below her ear. As she felt him flick his tongue there, she realized that she would be incapable of stopping him soon. She turned and pushed against him lightly.
He stumbled back a bit and ran his hand through his hair. She could see the familiar dark shade in his eyes as he looked into her own eyes. She looked away and took a deep breath. Then she turned around to continue kneading and said "Arnav pehle hame kaam toh khatam karne dijiye"
He came and leaned against the counter close enough for their sides to be touching and said softly "Aur uske baad?"
Her eyes widened as she looked at him and said "Er.. matlab.. humaara matlab hai ki.. er .. aap woh sab bartan mei daalke table par lagayenge? Tab tak hum paraathe banaate hai"
He stared at her lips for a few moments and then pushed himself off the counter to set the table.
Khushi tried to calm her nerves by not looking around the entire time that she made the parathas even though she could hear Arnav move around. She wondered what it was between them that they were joking and fighting and working together one moment and in the next moment, the tension between them became so thick that they could hardly breathe.
As she placed the last paratha into the casserole and walked out into the dining room, she noticed that the table and the room were empty. Ek kaam karne ko bola tha, Laad Governor woh bhi nahi kar sakta, she thought looking around.
Arnav walked in from a door and stopped on seeing her. He gestured her over and she walked towards him questioningly. He took the casserole from her and took her hand to pull her out of the door.
She stepped onto a verandah beautifully lit with dim lights. There was a pleasantly cold breeze because of all the trees around them. There was a lawn in front of the verandah which was lit well and she could see the beautiful plants and flowers and the thick bushes and trees around that. It was like they were in their own personal national park in the middle of a forest.
There was a couch and a short, but spacious table in front of it, where Arnav now placed the casserole along with the other food. He sat on the couch pulling her along with him to sit next to him.
Still holding her hand in his, he said "Toh?"
She looked at their entwined hands and then at him and said "Bahut khoobsoorat hai Arnav. Aapne sahi kaha tha. Delhi mei itni khoobsoorat jagah aur nahi hogi."
He smiled lightly and said "Ab mujhe bhi bhook lagi hai"
She started serving the food and looked at him tentatively while he started eating as if she was worried that he may not like it. He raised his eyebrow as he ate and said "It's amazing. Aur hoga kyu nahi, maine bhi toh madad ki na?" She smiled and started eating her own food.
Cutting into the comfortable silence they slipped into while eating, Arnav said "Payal ko kya bola tumne?"
Khushi looked up at the sudden change in topic and said "Isse pehle ki hum kuch bolte, Jiji ne hi pooch liya"
"Kya?"
"Ki tere aur uss Arnav Singh Raizada ke beech mei jo chal raha hai, uske baare mei humse kab baat karegi" she mimicked Payal's tone.
"Aur tumne kya kaha.. ki tumhaare aur uss Arnav Singh Raizada ke beech mei kya chal raha hai?"
Khushi looked into her plate as she said "Kaha ki hum aapke saath baahar jaa rahe hai aur vaapis aake baat karenge"
Then, just as naturally, Arnav started talking about the resort and how he visited this with his friend, who was more of a business acquaintance and how he loved the garden and the forest, neither of which were maintained well at that point. He told her how he couldn't bear the thought of not coming back to this place so he bought it and took it upon himself to make it so beautiful and cozy.
After they finished eating, he took a box from the table and opened it to Khushi - her eyes widened as she saw warm jalebies inside it. She looked up at Arnav. For a second, he thought she was going to hug him. Then, as if thinking better of it, she grinned and picked a jalebi and munched on it.
Arnav placed the box with the jalebies on the table, sat back, and looking intently at her munching on the jalebi, said "Khushi, will you be my girlfriend?"
Khushi stilled, with some jalebi in her mouth and some left in her hand. She met his eyes open-mouthed. He just kept looking at her intently, not moving a muscle.
Khushi swallowed the half chewed jalebi and just stared at him. Realizing that he wasn't planning to say anything further, she stammered "Arnav.. aap.. hum.. matlab.."
"Khushi" he interrupted her seriously "Maine tumse kahaa tha na ki mai apne rishto ko naam dene mei believe nahi karta.. But, like I said, I do want to answer your question. Mai ye nahi chahta ki tum mujhse poocho ki humaare beech kya rishta hai aur mere paas jawab hi naa ho."
He laced his fingers through her free hand and said "Khushi, I want you to be my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend" repeated Khushi, coming out of her shock. She didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't this. "Isska matlab kya hota hai, Arnav? Wahi jo Lavanya ji thi?"
Arnav stilled. He closed his eyes briefly trying to ignore the anger he felt rising in him at her comparing herself to Lavanya at such a moment.
"Khushi, mai samajh sakta hu ki tum kya soch rahi ho. Lavanya and me.. I don't know how to explain it. She asked me out and at the time, it seemed like a convenient thing.. to avoid.. Di aur Naani ke sawaal aur shaadi ki baatei. Aur phir there weren't any expectations.. bahut zyaada space bhi tha.."
Khushi interrupted softly "Aap humse bhi kya yahi umeed.."
"Khushi please" said Arnav "Iss baar tumne bol diya hai. Aage se kabhi bhi apne aap ko ya humaare beech jo hai usko Lavanya ke saath compare mat karna. Maine tumse kahaa ki joh mujhe tumhaare saath mehsoos hota hai, mujhe pehle kabhi aise nahi laga. I meant it. You'll just have to believe me."
Khushi looked into his eyes for a moment. "Arnav" she said softly "Aap aisa soch bhi kaise sakte hai ki hum aap pe vishvaas nahi karte? Kal tak iss sheher mei hum akele aap hi ke bharose the na. Aap par vishwas nahi karenge toh kispe karenge?" She saw Arnav's eyes softening and she continued "Hum bas kabhi kabhi aapko samajh nahi paate"
"I promise, Khushi, after today, hum dono ek duusre ko samajhne ka mauka bhi denge aur samajhne ki koshish bhi karenge. Maine zindagi mei kabhi nahi socha tha ki mai kabhi kisi ladki ko apna girlfriend banne ke liye poochonga. You made me want to do that."
Khushi smiled and said "Arnav, hum ye toh nahi keh sakte ke hum aapki puuri baat samajh gaye. Par hum ye zaroor kahenge ki hume aapke saath rehna achcha lagta hai." She blushed, but didn't look away from him.
"Can I take that as a yes?" teased Arnav. "Toh tum meri girlfriend ho na?"
She nodded, blushing harder and looked down at their entwined hands and stuffed the rest of the jalebi into her mouth. Arnav almost laughed out, but settled for a grin. Khushi gestured her sticky fingers and said "Hum haath dhoke aate hai" and got up to walk past him trying to pull away the hand that he was still holding.
He pulled her just as she was passing him and she fell onto his lap sitting sideways. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. He left her hand and put it around her. With his other hand, he caught her hand which had the syrup. Without leaving her eyes, he moved her fingers towards his mouth. Her hold on his shoulder tightened and she tried to stop him saying "aapko.." she cleared her throat and said "matlab.. issme cheeni.."
"..mujhe allowed nahi hai na?" he whispered against her fingers "aaj sab kuch allowed hai" he said before closing his mouth on her forefinger. Khushi swallowed as she felt him sucking her finger. Not leaving her eyes for a second, he did that to all her fingers slowly. By the time he was done, Khushi thought she would pass out. "Lo.. ab haath nahi dhona padega" he whispered near her face.
The pull from his eyes made her forget everything as she wound her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer on his lap with his hands around her waist.
"Tumhe achcha laga, Khushi?" he asked softly "Humaara pehla date?" She could only nod. "Toh mujhe thank you nahi kahogi?" he continued. She opened her mouth to say it when he said "I want a kiss as a thank you."
She gulped as she stared at him. Not wanting to disappoint him, she mustered all her courage and framed his face gently between her hands. She squirmed a bit on his lap as she moved closer to him and he bit down a groan. She moved her face closer to him until she felt his breath fan her face. Just when his lips were a breath ever from hers, she lost her nerve and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before burying her face in his neck, hugging him tight.
Arnav moved her hair to one side and kissed her ear. "I'm still waiting" he whispered and felt a sense of power when he felt her shiver against him. He held her tight as she slowly moved her head away to look into his eyes. She was sure her eyes reflected what she saw in his eyes. Deciding to go through with this, she moved her face close to his again until she felt her nose nudge his. Her eyes drooped shut as she hovered her lips over his.
Just as she breathed into his mouth, Arnav felt his control snap and he closed his mouth on hers. He held her head steady as he deepened the kiss and roamed his hands all over her back and sides. He could feel her soft breasts crush against his hard chest and he kissed her fervently. As they came up for air, they hugged each other tightly and breathed into each other's necks. Her breasts heaving against him was not helping his heartbeat.
He felt her lips move against his neck and his arms tightened around her. "Khushi" he whispered against her hair. He felt her drag her lips very lightly over his neck until she reached his jaw. Holding on to the last shreds of his sanity, he grabbed a fistful of her hair to pull her face an inch away.
Moving his hips purposefully against her as she sat on his lap, he breathed into her mouth hoarsely "Khushi, I want you."
Khushi's eyes flew open and they stared into each others' eyes for a few moments. Finally, Arnav closed his eyes briefly and took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves and some other parts. When he opened his eyes, she was still staring at him curiously. He smiled at her and pulled her head down to his chest and kissed the top of her head. As always, she felt a peace and warmth enveloping her as she felt his heartbeat under her ear and she hugged him back tightly.
They stayed like that for a few minutes until their breathing and their heartbeats returned to normal. Slowly, Arnav pulled back and looked at her face. After moving her hair away from her face, he got up with her cradled in his arms. Instinctively, Khushi put her arms around his neck and said "Kya kar rahe hai aap? Hume neeche utaariye."
"Vaapis nahi jaana?" he asked softly, holding her closer.
"Haan par ye sab saaf karna hai naa.. aur hum chal sakte hai.."
Arnav kissed her forehead before putting her down gently. Then he held her hand as she turned to start clearing up.
"Khushi, yahaa pe jo caretakers appointed hai, woh sab kar lenge. Woh yahi rehte hai. Hume nikalna chaahiye, it's getting late."
Khushi looked doubtful, but followed him as he tugged her arm. She suddenly rushed back to pick up the box of jalebies and came back and held his hand, grinning. Arnav rolled his eyes and they walked into the room together.
Just as they stepped out of the house, Arnav left her hand and said "Ek minute" and went back in. He was back in a few seconds holding her dupatta that he then placed around her neck. She smiled at him and walked after him as he went towards the car. He dialed a number on his cell and said "Haan hum nikal rahe hai, sab band kar dena"
He was standing next to her at her side of the car. "Itna romantically tumhe uthaake laanewaala tha. Sab kharaab kar diya" he said, playing with her hair.
"Ye sab itna khoobsoorat tha, Arnav" she said softly, looking into his eyes "hum chaahe bhi toh iss pal ko kharaab nahi kar sakte" She quickly leaned to kiss him on his jaw before rushing into the car.
Arnav grinned to himself wondering when she will be able to stop hiding herself every time after she touched him. He walked to the other side and got in. With his hands on the wheels, he leaned back and sighed. Then he turned his head to her and said "Toh meri girlfriend mujhse impress huyi ki nahi?"
She blushed, but teased him "Arnav Singh Raizada kuch kare aur kisi ko impress na kare, aisa ho sakta hai kya?"
He grinned at her and leaned over to kiss her cheek before straightening up and starting the car.
~End of Part 33~
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