Arnav stood at the corner of the living room in his white shirt and blue jeans, observing everyone enjoying Holi especially Khushi. She was looking absolutely gorgeous in her White Sari with Red border. She seemed to have fun applying colours on everyone in the family, except him. It was already late afternoon and she still hadn't bothered about him. Why would she? After all the things he had said and done to her, how could he expect anything from her? He was intently listening to their conversation.
Khushi- "Jiji, Happy Holi!" she squealed for the hundredth time and sprayed colourful water using a Pichkari on her sister.
Payal-"Khushi!" she glared at her with wide eyes and took the yellow coloured powder from a plate nearby and applied it all over her face. "Ha Ha! Go and see your face!" she declared aloud victoriously at the havoc created on Khushi's face and burst out into loud laughter.
Soon NK, Akash and Anjali also joined them in the colourful battle. Arnav stood silently observing them with a faint smile on his face. He somehow felt happy that the tension in the atmosphere had reduced to pave way for cheerfulness and celebrations. He was also glad that all was well between Khushi and her sister.
But he had no idea why the happiness of the girl who he wanted to hate the most, mattered to him. He clenched his fists in frustration at how Khushi was actually controlling his thoughts and minds. He wanted to be unaffected by her and thus decided to leave all of them alone and go back to his room.
As he turned around to leave, NK suddenly appeared in front of him.
NK-"Nanav! Where do you think you are going? It's Holi today and why aren't you enjoying with us?" he asked him.
Arnav- "NK, you know me very well. I don't like all this stuff." He said in a grim tone.
Anjali-"Chote, I think you need to chill out. NK, why don't you bring that drink?" she said winking at NK. She had arrived hearing their conversation.
NK went to the kitchen and brought two glasses of Bhang in his hand.
Anjali- "Here drink this and don't say No. It's my order!" she ordered him.
Arnav- "Di! I clearly know what it is and I'm not gonna drink it." He said rolling his eyes.
NK-"Nanav, you have to drink this. We won't leave you till you drink. Even I drank it. It's nice." Saying so he forced the glass on his mouth.
Arnav- "What the!" he said before both of them forced the drink down his throat. He gulped down the whole contents of the glass reluctantly.
Anjali-"Happy Holi chote!" she said putting green colour on his face.
Arnav-"Happy Holi to you too, Di." He said with a satisfaction that she was finally talking to him like before. Both NK and Anjali, then left leaving him all by himself. He continued to stare at Khushi's antics as the Bhang's effect slowly kicked into his system.
Khushi was feeling thirsty after all the jumping around and excitement. She turned to Payal who was playing Holi with Akash.
Khushi- "Jiji! I'm feeling thirsty. I'll go to the kitchen and drink something." She complained.
Payal-"OK, But come back fast." She said laughingly.
Khushi ran towards the kitchen. Little did she know, that the eyes who had been staring at her all throughout the day, were now following her.
She turned around to look for water to drink. But she couldn't find the water jug anywhere. With desperation, she looked around for anything to drink. Suddenly she saw some glasses of milk kept on the table. She inspected it closely and decided to drink it. Afterall, it was just milk, she thought to herself. Little did she know that it was the intoxicating Bhang.
After drinking one glass, she enjoyed it so much that she decided to drink another one.
Arnav had all the while been observing her leaning on the doorframe. The Bhang, he drank earlier was now kicking in. He felt his thoughts becoming fuzzier and unclear. He could only see Khushi. He decided to go and confront her.
Khushi was busy drinking the second glass of Bhang, when she felt someone yank her hand from behind. She turned around abruptly to see Arnav standing in front of her. He slowly pulled the glass from her hand and placed it aside.
Actually, she didn't want to face him today and spoil her festive mood. Hence, she had decided to avoid him for the full day.
He leaned in closer to her face and slowly traced his thumb over the white moustache of milk on her lips and wiped it clean. He then licked his thumb causing Khushi to simply stare at him dumbfounded. She felt her head mess up as the Bhang started kicking in her system.
Arnav-"Khushi!" he said intently gazing her eyes with an innocent face. "You didn't put the Holi colour on me till now. In the morning, when Di asked you to do so, you lied and escaped. Why Khushi, Why? I waited for you the whole morning. Am I so bad?" His face was barely inches away from hers.
She stood frozen in her place unable to reply to his question.
Arnav-"It's Ok, if you don't want to. But I will apply colour on you. Where are those colours?" he said and started looking for it everywhere in the kitchen. When he turned around, Khushi knew it was her chance to escape him and so she silently sneaked out behind him and started running frantically once she was outside the kitchen door.
Arnav heard the tinkling of her anklets and knew that she escaped. But he wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily. He found the thaal of colours in a corner and grabbed it and started running behind Khushi.
Khushi turned around to see him follow her and decided to run upstairs to their room. Everyone else present in the room, turned their heads in shock seeing Arnav chasing Khushi and burst into laughter a minute later seeing their childish antics.
Panting and out of breath, Khushi involuntarily entered the poolside, the place which was rightfully theirs. Arnav soon followed in, holding the thaal in his hand. She stepped behind automatically, while he took a step towards her. His smile had now turned into a wicked smirk. Fearful and apprehensive of what was about to follow, she stepped backwards until she felt her back hit the wall.
He continued to gaze directly into her eyes, not breaking their eye contact even for a millisecond. He came so closer to her until he could feel her warm breath on his face. He closed his eyes, relishing the warm sweet breath on his face. Her chest was heaving with deep breaths as she felt his closeness to her. He placed the thaal on the chair beside them and gently traced his fingers from her shoulder to her wrist, before finally ending at the palm and entwining his fingers with hers. She closed her eyes tightly, at his touch.
Bending his face closer to her ears, he huskily whispered into her eyes. "So now that I've finally caught you, where shall I apply the colour?"
Khushi instantly opened her eyes to look at him. His chocolate brown eyes were drowned with a familiar desire in them. She couldn't help the crimson colour from rising on her cheeks, as her thoughts became hazy and unclear.
At this very moment, it was evident on both of their faces, the desire they felt for each other. All their past was forgotten, their misunderstandings eliminated.
When she didn't reply to his question, he decided to continue to talk.
Arnav-"Your face and hands are full of colour. I don't want to apply it over other's colours." He paused and scanned her whole body until his eyes settled on one place. "I want to smear you where no one has ever done, so that you can remember this first Holi with me forever." He said and before she could suspect anything, he quickly turned her around to face the wall and gently pinned her against it, while he stepped closer to her, his chest pressed against her back.
Arnav-"This time, Don't move." He whispered as he stepped back to take the colour in his hand.
Khushi wanted to run, away from him, but somewhere her mind refused to budge away from that position. It was as if her body had been paralysed and couldn't move even if she willed it to.
He returned back few seconds later with red colour in both his hands. With a satisfactory smile on his face that she hadn't run away, he stepped closer to her and slid both his hands onto her waist, smearing it with the red colour.
Arnav-"Happy Holi, Khushi Singh Raizada!" he whispered in a low voice.
Khushi felt her body shudder at the sensuous touch of his hands on her bare waist and midriff. She wanted to scream at him for making her undergo this sweet torture, but at the same time, she felt ecstasy and bliss taking over her body and transporting her into dreamland, where all was well between the both of them.
Arnav didn't take his hands off her after smearing her with the colour. He caressed her waist, enjoying the smooth texture and creamy skin of his wife. He felt her relax her body and slowly shift her body weight on him, as she rested her head on his shoulder. She slid her hands on top of his on her waist, entwining her fingers with his. Then she carefully lifted his left hand and placed it on top of her chest so that he could feel her heart beat.
Arnav felt an electric shock run down his spine as he felt the heart beat of his wife. Never had he felt her so close before. He lowered his head and rested his chin on her shoulder as he continued to feel the rhythm of her body.
She didn't find any words to express what she was feeling right now. The proximity was too much to handle for her. But she wanted him to know and feel the effect he was having on her. Her love for him, which was hidden behind locked hearts all these days, was slowly manifesting itself.
She tilted her head sideways to look at his face. His eyes were closed. Just as she was about to wish him Happy Holi, she heard Hari Prakash enter the room. She pushed Arnav away from her with embarrassment, startling him in the process.
Hari Prakash- "Khushiji, Nani is calling you downstairs." He said and left the room.
She turned around to see him blankly staring at her. She couldn't make out what was he thinking. The intoxicating effect of Bhang had completely fuzzed their thoughts.
Khushi-"Nani is calling." She said to Arnav and left, carefully adjusting her Sari to wrap around her waist to hide the red colour on it.
A couple of hours later, she returned back to their room after finishing her work with Nani. She hadn't seen him during that time. By now, it was already dark and she was feeling uneasy and drowsy. She had wanted to meet him before retiring for the night.
But when she entered the room, he wasn't present in there. Disappointedly, she picked up the duvet and her pillows and decided to retire for the evening and went towards the poolside. She carefully arranged it on the floor outside and just when she was about to lie down, she saw him silently sitting in a corner of the poolside and observing her.
He looked tired and gloomy. But most of all, he looked disappointed.
Khushi- "Arnavji..." she called out and strode towards him. He got up and flashed a faint smile on his face and turned around to leave the poolside.
But before he could leave, she caught his hand from behind stopping him. She slowly walked and stood in front of him. The thaal of colours was still lying on the chair beside them. She dipped her two fingers in the red colour and applied it on the sides of his face and whispered, "Happy Holi!"
His eyes glistened with absolute happiness and all his disappointment vanished away in that one touch of her fingers. She took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a tight hug. A hug which both of them needed the most in this present situation. She felt his hands carefully gliding up her back as he tightened his grip on her and reciprocated the hug.
He could hear her muffled voice against his chest. "Please don't leave me alone tonight, Arnavji."
He pulled her away from his tight hug and held her hand and led her to her duvet on the floor. He sat down on it, leaning his back on the wall and stretched out his legs. He then gestured her to come and sit between his legs. She obediently obliged and placed herself between him and carefully leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his body. He held her tightly around her waist, providing the warmth of his body to her. He pulled the Duvet on top of them, shielding them completely from the night's cold wind.
Khushi- "Why do you hate me Arnavji?" she looked up innocently at his face and asked him.
Arnav-"Why do you hate me Khushi?" he questioned her back, his eyes full of pain and hurt.
Both had no answers to their questions because right now, at that moment, there wasn't any hatred between them. All that was present was that innocent irrevocable love, which had been hidden behind those faces for so many months.
They slumbered into deep sleep for the first time, comfortable in each other's arms, unaware of their surroundings, oblivious to the tomorrow that lay ahead of them, full of unknown problems and trials. But today, there were together and that mattered most to their lives.
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