May 08 2012 | 23:43
Ah, the relentless demands of the human body. Once one need is satiated, another rises. Arnav Singh Raizada was eventually hungry for food. And, in this hunger too, Khushi was intimately involved. She sat on his lap and fed him with her hands. His eyes drank her in and his ears were treated to all her great and small thoughts. He realized how much he had missed her animated narratives punctuated by her hand gestures and the dance of emotions across her face. He ran his fingers down her cheek, knowing that if not for Khushi he would now be married to a laptop.
"Why are you smiling?" she asked.
His smile widened and he told her.
"Wife or laptop? Why limit yourself to one?" she said, wriggling sensually in his lap.
Arnav chuckled at her comment, and then gasped as her knee veered dangerously close to his essentials, "careful, Khushi. Don't jeopardize our chances for family life."
He saw surprise in Khushi's eyes. Of course, she was surprised. He had never indicated that he hoped for them to have children. As they never took precautions, he assumed that was conveyed. But, had he asked her what her feelings were? He was ready; he assumed she was also ready.
He saw it was this precise behaviour that so often brought tears to her eyes: he failed to share his thoughts before they became plans and then became deeds. He had made a commitment to her the other evening that he would be conscious of this pattern, but he continued to behave as a workaholic bachelor, while enjoying all the advantages of married life. Such as that evening he left to see Mr. Chopra without informing her. She had been worried enough to check for his car. Or, more recently, not informing her that he would be in Goa for business. He had sensed this afternoon that she had been disappointed that it fallen to a newspaper to inform her that her husband was away from Delhi. He admired how graciously she had handled it. Not confronted, but congratulated him--even though she was well within her right to be livid. He had to rethink his life. How he had lived so far had worked for him, but it was not the life he wanted to give Khushi.
Khushi came to her feet, and said, "I'll just return this to the kitchen. Should I meet you in the bedroom?"
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When she entered the bedroom, she saw Arnav had propped himself up on pillows against the headboard. His eyes were closed, but they flickered open when she walked past the bed. She had brought him some hot milk.
"You were long," he said, as she placed the milk on the bedside table.
Khushi had felt some lingering anxiety and popped into Anjali's room to see whether she was comfortable. She was happy to discover that Anjali and Little Khushi were cuddled together, fast asleep. "I went to see if Di wanted some milk. Little Khushi is spending the night."
Arnav asked, "does Di seem better?"
How to reply with delicacy? "Better and better," Khushi said, evasively. She saw that his hair was damp from the shower. "Let me also have a shower," she said.
"Hurry," he urged.
"Have your milk, Uncleji."
When she emerged from her shower, she saw that Arnav was missing from the room. She slipped under the duvet and waited. But unable to wait with patience, she left the bed and stepped into the dark corridor. With bare feet she strode to the upper landing where the great hall was visible below. This area was also pitch dark. She decided to return to the bedroom, when she ran into the solid chest wall of her husband. Her breath caught, as he swung her into his arms.
"What are you doing stumbling around in the dark, woman?" he demanded, as he carried her back to their lit bedroom.
"I was looking for you," she said.
He shut the door with his heel and laid her on the bed. Sliding down next to her, he announced, "I have reached a decision." Khushi rose on her elbow, and rolled towards him. She heard something in his voice that gave her pause. "This decision takes into consideration what you have recently said to me," he said, running her fingers down the length of her hair.
Khushi felt her heart lurch. She said, "you better explain. My imagination is running wild."
"I am going to reduce my workload. Akaash will take over my day-to-day responsibilities. I'll concentrate solely on expansion," he said. "Akaash is ready, but it's difficult by force of habit for our staff to go to him when I am available. If I step away, in time he will build credibility." Khushi was nodding. "I can work from anywhere. He can work from Headquarters. I'll be near enough if he needs to consult."
He met her eyes and asked, "thoughts?"
She was momentarily taken aback by his question. Arnav Singh Raizada had never consulted her. She sat up, cross-legged on the bed, and said enthusiastically, "I approve. You have a brilliant mind that thrives on challenge. In the last three weeks you have entered two new markets. The Sen Hotel deal. This Angel acquisition. I see how this excites you." She dropped a kiss on his mouth. "I'm thrilled for you."
Arnav caught the nape of her neck and brought her back down for a deeper kiss. He asked, "What about for yourself"
"Of course. Although, I do think we should set up a better work space than the recliner at Raizada House. What about--" she was saying.
"--Khushi, before you begin to order furniture, I want to hear if this makes you happy."
"Of course," she repeated. Although she didn't quite understand what he meant.
He sat up, and caught her face in his hands, "I was on a perfect beach last night, and it held no pleasure because you were missing. I realized that I have worked day and night to acquire significant power and success, but have taken no joy in the rewards because I was alone. Now I have you, I want us to enjoy what I have achieved. I want to make significant changes to our lifestyle."
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