~Part 37~
Akash was grinning widely when Arnav opened the door with Khushi behind him.
"Is this becoming like a ritual or something?" asked Arnav.
"Is this?" replied Akash gesturing at Khushi and Arnav standing together.
While Arnav looked nonchalant, Khushi blushed as she came out of the room saying "Woh Akash sir, hum baat karne aaye the aur.."
Arnav reached out to hold her wrist and stop her saying "Aur baat abhi khatam huyi bhi nahi.. kya hua?" directing the last bit to Akash.
"Kuch bhi nahi, we're going to bed, so just came by to say goodnight."
"Oh, you guys are going to bed. That's good progress" smirked Arnav.
Akash saw Payal getting flustered and said "Separately that is. Which is more than what can be said about certain others here." He smirked right back at Arnav when Khushi got flustered.
"Khushi, kal hum jaldi uthke niklenge toh hum jaldi sone jaa rahe hai" said Payal "Tu bhi kaam khatam karke jaldi aaja, theek hai?"
"Haan Jiji"
"Oh yeah Bhai. Payal and I are leaving early morning for Noida for the meeting with Mr Mittal. I'll call you and keep you posted" said Akash.
"Oh yeah the meeting is tomorrow. Yeah, let me know how that goes."
Akash and Payal left to go into their respective rooms after bidding them goodnight. Arnav stepped back into his room and held the door open for Khushi. She stepped in and he shut the door behind her.
"Tumne Payal ko ye kyu kahaa ki tum kaam khatam karke vaapis jaaogi?" said Arnav quietly.
Khushi turned around to face him and said "Aap so jaayiye. Phir hum chale jaayenge."
"Mujhe sulaana tumhaara kaam hai kya?" said Arnav "Jo tum kaam khatam karke jaaogi?"
Khushi sighed as she heard the familiar anger creep into his voice. She forced herself to remain calm and reminded herself that Arnav has had one of the most harrowing days of his life.
Khushi took a step towards Arnav and placed her palm on his upper arm. "Arnav, aisi baat nahi hai. Hum yahaa aapke saath kaise ruk sakte hai? Sote waqt toh jaana hi padega na hume? Aur phir Jiji bhi hai kamre mei.."
Arnav jerked away from her touch and said coldly "Tumhe kya laga ki mai kya chaahta hu? Did you think I was asking you to sleep with me?"
Khushi closed her eyes briefly. "Arnav, aise mat kahiye. Hum bhi rehna chaahte hai aapke paas. Aapke manaa karne par bhi hum aaye the naa aapke paas? Aaj jo kuch bhi hua, uske baad humse jo hota hai aapke liye karna chaahte hai. Aapka dard baantna chaahte hai aur aapke saath hi rehna chaahte hai. Lekin hum raat ko iss tarah aapke saath yahaa so bhi toh nahi sakte na?"
"Khushi, let's stop playing these games. Maine tumse kya kahaa? Aaj mere saath rukne ko. You thought I meant that I want to sleep with you. That's what you think I want from you. That's the only thing you think I want from you, right? You're always on your guard. Jab bhi mai tumhaare paas aata hu, you hold back. This is why, right? You think I only want one thing from you. You know what? Mai sahi tha. Akele rehna hi achcha hai. Akele apne problems ka saamna karna hi aasaan hai. Duusro se jitna duur raho, disappointments se bhi utna hi duur rahoge."
Arnav walked past Khushi and went to stand near his French window. "Tum apne kamre mei jaao, Khushi. And to avoid any confusion, let me add that I mean it. Please leave."
Khushi stood rooted to her spot. She wasn't sure where all of this came from. What was he saying? True, she was new to all this and possibly wasn't making him as happy as she wanted to. But, she didn't expect him to throw that in her face like this. Does he really think that she has so little regard for him and his feelings and his intentions towards her? She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. He doesn't really mean it, she told herself. This was Arnav being Arnav. After enduring possibly the worst day of his life, he had swallowed his ego and reached out to her. From his point of view, she had backed out. Lashing out at her was his natural tendency when he was upset, she reminded herself. It was up to her to realize that and not turn away from him when he needed her.
As Khushi approached Arnav, she remembered how Arnav had wanted to take some time off and think about everything in a while, how he wanted to get his mind off it for tonight. Deciding that she will make him do just that, Khushi went and stood behind Arnav. Taking a deep breath, she closed the distance between them and squeezed her arms between his arms and his body and hugged him from behind. She felt Arnav stiffent and half expected to be pushed away.
As always, Arnav's anger had started ebbing away as soon as he asked her to leave. He was half going to ask her to stop when he felt her come and stand behind him. Deciding to play along, when she hugged him, he said "Khushi, it's not going to work," but she could see that his voice had regained its warmth. His hands came to hold hers to try and remove them and she tightened her hold on him, pressing herself into his back.
Arnav closed his eyes and let himself revel in the warmth of her soft curves pressed up against his back. Opening his eyes, he pried her hands away effortlessly and turned around to face her. She raised her eyes to meet his, with some effort, he noted. "Kya hai?" he asked. She shook her head as if to say nothing and then took him by surprise by putting her hands around his neck and hugging him.
He stumbled back a step a step or two at the unexpectedness and force of her hug with her attached to his neck. Before he could recover, he felt her push him a couple more steps until he felt the wall next to the window against his back.
In spite of himself, he smiled lightly at her naive attempts, but his smile vanished when he felt her lips at the side of his neck. His hands, which had automatically landed around her when she hugged him, now tightened around her and she pressed herself into him. His eyes drooped as her breasts pressed up against his hard chest. He sucked in a breath as he felt her hands roam his sides just as she kissed him just below his ear.
Not trusting himself too much with her innocently trying to seduce him in his bedroom at night, Arnav pulled all of his control together to hold her shoulders and lightly pull her away a bit. He tried to gather his wits as he looked into her eyes.
Arnav felt her sigh as her shoulders slumped a bit and she pushed his hands away and took a step back looking down.
"Hum kuch theek se nahi kar paate na?" she said softly, still looking down. "Aapne sahi kahaa tha. Aap humaare kareeb aane ki koshish karte hai aur hum.." she trailed off thinking she would die of humiliation. She sighed again and without looking up said "Hum.. hum chalte hai" and turned to leave.
By the time Arnav finally calmed his nerves enough to realize what she was saying, Khushi was near the door. What the?! he thought, rushing after her, closing his hand over hers on the knob of his door.
In her desperation to get away from him, Khushi tried to shrug him off with all her strength. Not expecting it, Arnav jerked back a bit, but recovered soon enough to turn her around and back her up against the door with his body. He held her wrists and pulled her hands behind her bringing her flush against him.
She tried to shed her inhibitions for me, he thought. To cheer me up and to make me realize she cares, she was trying to be intimate with me. For me. Arnav felt a surge of affection for Khushi as she blushed furiously, staring resolutely at the collar of his t shirt. And she thought she wasn't doing it right. Arnav sighed as he thought she would probably be frightened if she knew the extent to which even her thought affected him.
Tightening his hold around her, he said "Khushi, meri taraf dekho." Her only reaction was to struggle to get out of his hold. With her hands behind her, that didn't help as that only made her wriggle her chest against his. Arnav tried to keep his breathing normal as he said "Khushi.."
"Nahi" said Khushi firmly and shrugged and pushed with all her might. This time, Arnav stumbled back a step because of the suddenness and unexpectedness of her movement. Khushi's hand barely touched the knob when he roughly jerked her away from the door, bolted it, and turned around to face her.
After what Khushi considered to be a rejection from Arnav's part, her mind had screamed at her to get out. She just wanted to be away from him and not look at his face. Not giving a thought to the fact that she was no match for Arnav, she tried to push him away from the door. Arnav felt an annoyance creeping into him as he grabbed her arms and pinned her arms to her sides holding her immobile, a foot away from him.
"Paagal ho gayi ho tum?" he asked her quietly.
"Haan!" she said looking everywhere, but at him. "Kuch der pehle hum paagal hi ho gaye the. Ye sochke ki hum kabhi toh aapko khush kar paayenge. Kuch toh aisa karenge jisse aapko gussa naa aaye. Lekin woh humaara paagalpan hi tha. Aap kabhi humse khush ho hi nahi sakte. Hum jo bhi.."
"Enough!" said Arnav trying to control his temper as he saw Khushi jerk a bit. He wasn't sure when the mood changed. "Maine kuch kahaa tumse? Tum khud bhaagke jaa rahi thi"
"Haan! Kyunki aapke kehne ka intezaar nahi karna chahte hum. Aap hi ne hume apne aap se duur kiya tha. Isse pehle ki aap hume phirse jaane ko kehte, hum khud chale jaana chaahte hai."
Arnav was losing his patience as she was still refusing to look at him. He dragged her against him and pulled her hair to force her face towards him and said quietly "Apne aap se duur kiya tha kyunki mai kuch aisa nahi karna chaahta tha jo tum nahi chaahti. Jiss vaje se tum mere saath aaj rukna nahi chaahti ussi ko rok raha tha mai. Samjhi tum!"
Arnav left Khushi abruptly and walked until his bed, trying to control his breathing. With her naive attempts and then her awkwardness and his own feelings and both their emotions running wild, Arnav tried in vain to calm his nerves.
Khushi stood in disbelief for a moment before Arnav's words sunk in and she felt her face heat up. She turned around slowly and tentatively to look at Arnav just in time to see a flash of his t shirt before he grabbed her headlong backing her up against door and kissed her.
There was nothing tender or slow about the kiss as he assaulted her senses with his passion. Khushi clutched his shoulders as she felt her feet leaving the ground as he pushed her up against himself up the wall, not breaking the kiss. Instantly losing herself in the feel of him, Khushi grabbed him around his neck with one hand as she ran the other through his hair. Their loud breaths mingled into each others' mouths as they tried to get as close to each other as they could manage.
Arnav let her down and used one hand to open her braid while he opened her dori with his other hand. His hands roamed all over her, right from her neck to her shoulders, down her sides. Her breath hitched in his mouth as she felt his hands move sensuously over her hips pulling her tight against his hardness. "Arnav" she breathed against his lips as she let herself flow into the sensations that he evoked in her. Unable to keep away from his skin any longer, Khushi she slipped her hands inside his t shirt and up his bare back.
Arnav's mouth stilled on hers as he felt Khushi's hands inside his t shirt. "Khushi.." he whispered before he kissed her with renewed fervor as his hands molded her into himself. Khushi did not even realize it as Arnav tugged the zip of her kameez down behind her as he ran havoc in her mouth.
Khushi's eyes fluttered open when she felt his hand on her bare back. Before she could react, he closed his mouth over hers again in a sensuous kiss that left her breathless. Her head fell back as he trailed his lips along her jawline and flicked his tongue under her ear. As she gasped, he stepped away for a second to pull his t shirt over his head and pulled her into his arms, claiming her lips for a moment before pulling her head back to run his tongue along the length of her neck until he placed a soft kiss at the base of her throat.
His fingers deftly moved her kameez off one shoulder just as his lips followed the same path sensuously. Khushi's soft hands running all over his naked back was driving him crazy. The sudden unbidden thought of wanting to feel her naked against him brought some sense back into his head. He felt light-headed as he tried to hold on to his sanity and took a step away from her.
His heart almost stopped when he saw the sight in front of him. Khushi looked completely ravished with her hair open and dishevelled due to his fingers. Her kameez was off one of her shoulders revealing a black bra strap and her soft creamy shoulder. Her lips were full and swollen from his kissing and her eyes were dark with passion as she looked at him unabashedly.
Just as he whispered "Khushi mai..", in a daze, Khushi closed the distance between them and ran her hands over his naked abs and up his chest. She felt his muscles flex under her touch before he groaned and pulled her into his arms, kissing her again. She laced her fingers into his hair and moved her other hand on his sides and back, trying to get closer to him.
Arnav's hands roamed her back where he had opened her kameez as he kissed his way down her throat and into her cleavage. She gasped as his lips touched the top of her breasts and he held her as her knees buckled. He kissed his way back up and claimed her lips while his hands deftly undid the clasp of her bra.
Khushi's eyes flew open when she felt her bra come open. With a jerk she stepped back and stumbled to back up against the wall, staring wide-eyed at Arnav, breathing heavily. Arnav tried to control his panting and clenched his fists to resist the urge to cover her body with his own against the door. His eyes flicked between her lips and her eyes as he tried to get his sanity back.
Closing his eyes briefly, Arnav turned around to gather his wits and to let her gather herself. Khushi took a few calming breaths before she hooked up her bra, zipped up her kameez, and picked up the dupatta that had fallen off sometime during their tussle. Running her hands through her hair, she picked up Arnav's t shirt, her face flaming as she thought of her wanton feelings when she ran her hands under his t shirt.
Going to stand behind him, she put his t shirt forward. Arnav took it from her, pulled it on and was smoothing it out when he felt her hug him softly from behind, putting her chin on his shoulder, sighing. Folding his hands over hers around him, he turned his head to kiss her forehead softly. He whispered against her skin "you should go to sleep."
Letting go of Arnav, Khushi came to stand in front of him and put her arms loosely around his neck as he automatically put his around her waist, pulling her close.
Placing her forehead against his, she said softly "Aaj hum yahi reh jaaye aapke paas?"
Arnav pulled away a bit to look at her and said "Khushi mai.."
"Please?" she said.
Arnav stared at her for a moment before bending to pick her up and carried her to the bed, placing her on it gently. He pulled the blanket on her before slipping under it himself. He settled himself on the pillows before pulling her into his arms, her head on his chest.
"Payal se kya kahogi?" he said, running his fingers through her hair.
"Hum jaldi uthke chale jayenge. Aap utha denge na?" she said sleepily, snuggling closer to him.
"Haan" he smiled into her hair before reaching out with one hand to set an alarm on his phone.
She was almost asleep even as he placed the phone back. In spite of having had the worst day of his life, Arnav never felt so content while going to sleep as he did at this moment with Khushi asleep in his arms, her head nestled at the crook of his neck. Smiling into her hair, he placed a kiss on the top of her head before pulling her sleeping form closer into him and closing his eyes peacefully.
~End of Part 37~
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