As promised, here's the second encounter. Sorry for taking so long to update, there was a lot of stopping and starting whilst writing this! Again, I wasn't expecting it to be so long, but once I started writing, I just kind of ran with it. Not sure if this is the direction I was intending on taking, but oh well, hope you enjoy it all the same. It's slow to begin with - so apologies in advance if it bores you to death!
Any comments/criticisms appreciated 😊
P.s. Ending's a little abrupt!
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Second encounter: A sweet prayer
Excitement filled the air as each of the family members took their seats in the car. Anjali rolled down her window, only to see an anxious looking Khushi, and a rather mischievous looking Chote. She gave Khushi a comforting nod before rolling her window back up.
"Ab ayega maza!" she murmured to herself excitedly, breaking into a large grin. Her line of thought was cut short when Mami ji brusquely muttered: "yeh phati saari kyun itna sadwa look rahi hei"... she sighed heavily.
Anjali shook her head as if to block out mami ji's nonsense, whilst Khushi glumly waved goodbye to Anjali and the family. She craned her neck to watch them go, as they drove into the far distance. The dust filled air settled, opening up to a bright, clear sky; welcoming the sweet melody of birds.
Closing her eyes gently, Khushi arched her back and stretched out her arms, surrendering herself to the glorious weather. She inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet freshness of the morning, before exhaling again.
Losing herself in Earth's beauty, Khushi had completely forgotten about Arnav's presence; who stood leaning against the door frame, watching intently.
He was never one for goodbyes, nor did he bother with the etiquettes of seeing someone to the door, thought Anjali, who now relaxed fully into her seat. She sighed contentedly at the recollection of changes that Khushi was bringing into her chote's life.
Arnav felt his body relax against the solid white door frame; losing himself in Khushi's sweet, innocent surrender. A warm smile played on his lips as he continued gazing at her in awe and suppressed delight. He remembered how their last set of close encounters re-awakened within him a wave of emotions that he thought would never return, nor did he allow himself to yearn for. Renewed feelings of hope, happiness and...love had begun to rekindle past grievances, over clouding his dominant fear; a fear that prevented him from pursuing his own happiness.
His heart thumped rapidly against his chest, as he vividly recalled one of their many close encounters: dhak, dhak, dhak dhak, dhak dhak...he moved towards her with uncontrolled passion. Overwhelming desire urged him to reach out and hold her...caress her... His brown eyes emanated a soft tenderness, reflecting his desire to make her his, as he continued to move towards her, each step becoming more bold and daring. Tantalising images of Khushi, surrounded by a circle of beautifully lit diyaas held his mind captive. In that moment, he knew he had lost all control. He felt his pulse race when he noticed the exotic hue of colour rising to her cheeks as she drew away from him a step at a time. With each retreating step, he advanced forward, returning them to close proximity. Giving into temptation, he permitted his eyes to travel down to her petite waist, holding his gaze, before travelling his way back up again, slowly, wanting to capture every inch of her curvaceous frame. She had no idea of the havoc she created within him, as he closed in on her, resting his eyes on her heaving chest, gradually raising them up to her full, moist lips...dhak dhak, dhak dhak...
Just then, Khushi gave out a loud gasp, jolting him back to reality. He watched as her mouth widened, forming the perfect shape of an "O". Arnav had grown used to this expression, knowing she must have had some sort of revelation. This was his chance he mused...he advanced forward, keeping his eyes fixated on hers. She immediately drew back, growing nervous of his predatory movements. He quickly glanced over her shoulder, giving a satisfying smile, noticing the large tree that she was backing herself into. No sooner had she realised this, it was too late. She was trapped. Arnav was enjoying these close encounters, and the newly felt sensations that came with it. It wasn't that long ago that he was hell bent on chasing 'Khushi' away from his life, but now, he wanted to embrace it. It dawned on him that 'Khushi' had never given up on him, but was right there in front of him all along, waiting for him to grab hold of it. He smiled at the irony of it all.
Closing the gap between them, he hovered over her, resting his one hand against the bark. His smirk grew wider as Khushi took in a sharp breath, shutting her eyes tightly, as if to shield herself from his heated gaze. She was furious at herself for responding this way; and he knew it. But now he longed for her acceptance, and the only he was going to get it was by letting her know just how much she affected him. After all, it was his fault for not being true to his feelings.
He didn't know however that his over-confidence, far from irking her, was something she found very alluring. She gulped, sensing his closeness; his strong scent mingled with her own, both drinking each other in. Alien to such feelings, she looked to devi mayaa for help, muttering "Hai devi mayaa, ab hum kya kare!?" Taking advantage of the situation, he drew closer to her, admiring her beauty; her expressive eyes which were now veiled under her soft eyelids, her blushed red cheeks, her perfectly aligned nose, and'her soft lips, which invited him to inch even closer. He couldn't resist; slowly, he brought his mouth up to her ear, letting her feel his warm breath, before whispering cheekily: "kyun, kya karne ka man hein?"
At this, her eyes flew open. Shocked and bashful of the implication behind his question, which he posed so daringly. She recovered herself quickly, pushing him back slightly to free herself from his grip. She looked back at him gloatingly for being able to free herself, only to find him grinning at her small victory, wholly unaffected by it. Infuriated by his cockiness, she strode past him, huffing and puffing: "samajte kya hein apne aap ko, laad governor kahi ka". Arnav chuckled quietly at her reaction before calling out to her softly, "khushi"...
Halting in her tracks, she turned around to face him, only to find he was inches away from her face. "What is it?" she exclaimed, stifling a gasp, startled by his sudden closeness. He leaned his face forward, as if to capture her lips. His sudden movement caused her to step back, almost losing her balance. Grabbing hold of his arms, she steadied herself, before countering "k-kya kar rahein hein aap?"
"kya kar raha hun?" he mocked. She was just about to leave when he waved a piece paper in front of her face.
Khushi glanced at it curiously before asking: "kya hein yein?"
"Di ne diya mujhe. It's a list of things she'd like you to help her with" he replied casually.
"acha?" she said smiling, "toh dijiye humein" she said reaching out her hand
His mischievous smile returned as he said "aa kar le lo..." he taunted.
She grabbed hold of the piece of paper, fuelled by his insistent challenges, only to find he was holding onto it tightly, refusing to let go. She knew he was teasing her, but that didn't make her feel any less comfortable. Sensing her nervousness, he loosened his grip, letting her win this time. Growing flustered at his change in behaviour, she snatched the piece of paper from his loosened grip, and fled into the house.
Sighing affectionately at her crazy ways, he followed her into the house, reminding himself that he had the whole day to win her over.
Once inside, Khushi brought her hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. She shook her head, in denial of Arnav's presence having an affect on her. She decided to get started on the list of jobs Anjali had given her to do, in the hope that it would occupy her thoughts. She looked at the list...
- Adorn the mandir
She felt herself instantly relax, as nothing made her feel more at home than being in the presence of her devi mayaa. Carefully, she entered the mandir, freeing herself of all thoughts. Her soft hands delicately adorned the temple, as she enveloped herself in peace and serenity. Lifting her hands in prayer, she called on her devi mayaa to help untangle so many of her unanswered questions. Without realising, her mind wandered to Arnav Sing Raizada, as if he were the answer to her prayer. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked towards her devi mayaa, confused at the signal given to her. Dhak dhak, dhak dhak,dhak dhak, she felt her heart quicken, sensing his presence. Shaking off the feeling almost immediately, knowing there is no way Arnav would willingly stand before her devi mayaa, she took hold of the pooja thal and made her way out of the mandir.
"Arnav ji" she whispered, stopping in her tracks. She stood still, transfixed at the sight before her. Head bowed...eyes closed in complete submission. Khushi marvelled at the sight of humbleness, pleasantly surprised by his act of worship. Gradually, his eyes opened, locking into hers. Khushi couldn't quite put her finger on it, but the moment he offered his prayer, it looked as if all traces of fear and discomfort had been removed. As if hearing her thoughts, Arnav gave a contented sigh, knowing he hadn't felt this much at peace in a long time.
Realising they were stood gazing in each other's eyes, they both turned their heads away in unison; shying away from each other, settling their racing hearts. Taking it as a cue to leave, Khushi broke away from her trance, leaving Arnav to his solace.
"Khushi" he called out gently...increasing her heartbeat again.
She hesitated a moment before replying: "Ji" she queried softly
"pucho gi nahi meine kya maanga?" he softly returned
They both looked at each other, enveloped in complete tranquillity. It felt as if time had stood still. Khushi realised that for once there was no mocking, haughtiness or derision in his tone, just plain sincerity. Her heart accelerated at this thought. Again she hesitated, unsure of how to reply. After a long pause, she cleared her throat, wanting to remove herself from the awkwardness, and replied with false irritation, "haan, haan, jaante hein hum, aapne ne to yahi maanga hoga ke hum hamesh...
"hamesha keliye mere saamne raho"...
he cut in...concluding his sweet prayer.
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