OK, 2 things. One..I am sick and tired of the profusion of nearly missed kisses. So, I decided to do something about it. Two, I just felt like writing. It's been a while. So, I wrote this. Not my best work. But chalta hai. Set after the hug on Friday. Everyone just pretend the satsang happened and Arnav and Khushi were uninterrupted. (Like that will EVER happen on the show!)
OS: Let the games begin..
"Admit it, Khushi. I am your husband!" said Arnav, leaning in towards her. Khushi closed her eyes and waited for the kiss that had been denied them for too long now. She didn't want to fight it anymore. In fact, she wanted to get it over with. The kiss. His lips landed on hers softly. It was over before she knew it. He pulled away and her eyes flew open. She looked him squarely in the eye.
"Satisfied?" she asked.
"Not quite. That was too short," he said pulling her to him again. This time he didn't let her go till her lipstick was well and truly smudged all over his lips. When he pulled away they were both breathing heavily. He ran a hand over his lips, wiping the traces of her lipstick off.
"That, was much better," he quipped. "Now, admit it, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada."
"Admit what?" she said, a fire lighting up her eyes.
"That I am your husband."
"Because you kissed me against my will? Just like you thrust cake down my throat against my will and most importantly, married me against my will?"
"I may have married you against your will, but you wanted this kiss, have the grace to admit it Khushi."
"Why would I want to be kissed by a man that I didn't want to marry?"
"You didn't want to marry me at the time. That doesn't mean you didn't love me. You loved me then. And you love me now, Khushi."
"You seem to know exactly how I feel," she said drily.
"I know you better than you know yourself."
"Of course. Arnav Singh Raizada knows everything."
"Exactly right," he said confidently.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I would never want to be with someone who couldn't wish me Happy Birthday," She said quietly.
"You know why I couldn't Khushi."
"No. I don't."
"I never wish anyone Happy Birthday."
"Not even Di?"
"Except Di."
"So, you can wish Di, but not me?"
"I'll wish you next year."
"Then the next kiss can wait till next year, I think."
"Oh come on, Khushi. Don't be a baby. It's just a birthday."
"Well, it's just a kiss. Why are you so desperate?"
"Did you just call Arnav Singh Raizada desperate?" he fumed.
"You haven't been able to finish this job since last Diwali. If you'd played your cards right you could've been a father before your Di becomes a mother," Said Khushi pointedly.
"So, you want to have my babies?" he asked, trying to recover from this sudden onslaught.
"The rate at which you work, that will never happen!" she quipped.
"I can make it happen," he said, stepping really close to her. Barely an inch remained between the two of them. She placed a hand on his chest and shoved him away.
"Contract ends in 2 months. My birthday is gone. Next birthday is a year away. Logistically, I don't see this happening," said Khushi calmly decimating all his plans for imminent fatherhood.
"Damn the contract. I don't want it anymore." He fumed.
"I never wanted it in the first place. I didn't want to be married to you, and I certainly didn't want to be married to anyone on a contract basis. I am not providing a rent-a-punching-bag service here," said Khushi.
"Look, you know what the circumstances were then. It wasn't done intentionally. I never meant to hurt you Khushi."
"But that's all you've done. Ever since we've met, all you've done is hurt me."
"How can I make it up to you?" he asked miserably.
"I don't know. Let me consult the manual on 'How to make an irreversible wrong right!"
"Khushi, look. What's done is done. Can we look to the future now? I don't want a 6 month marriage anymore. I want you and me together. For a lifetime."
"I see the words sorry haven't come out of your mouth yet. You know, its OK. I don't need an apology from you. Besides, you can't even say Happy Birthday…that's to wish someone well. How can you say Sorry? That would mean admitting you were wrong! And Arnav Singh Raizada is never wrong, of course."
"And I wasn't wrong Khushi. Maybe I was wrong in marrying you against your will. But marrying you was the right decision. I will never regret that," he said squarely.
"Even if I told you I hate being married to you? I hate what you've done to me. What my life has become because of you? A sham in which I can tell no one the truth about my life." She asked.
"You're lying. You don't hate being married to me. You love me," he said confidently.
"You're not wrong. I do love you. But I also hate being married to you. The 2 are not mutually exclusive, you know."
"So, let me make you love being married to me as well," he asked.
"Sorry. My mind doesn't work the same way as yours. I can't order it to love this or love that. It does it's own thing."
"OK. Look, the whole problem is that I married you against your will. Can we just get married again? Nicely. We'll do the whole shebang. Mehendi, sangeet, what-have-you."
Khushi's mouth fell open at the suggestion. Arnav looked at her triumphantly. "I knew you'd like the idea. Let's do it. Let's get married again. Where do you want to get married? How about the Udaipur Palace?" he asked.
"Can you also arrange to erase the memory of our first wedding? In case, you know, uncomfortable recollections intrude into our wedding night. I might miss the poolside on our suhaag raat!" she said smoothly.
"Can you please try and forget all that, so we can begin a new life together?" asked Arnav.
"Only if you can give me the last 4 months of my life back."
"I can give you a lifetime's worth of happiness," he promised.
"Will you promise to shove cake down my throat every birthday, darling?" she asked.
"I'll make you happy Khushi. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy. I give you my word."
"Will you let me go, then?" she asked softly.
"Go where?" he asked.
"Anywhere. Where ever I want. I want to go away at the end of our contract. I want to be by myself. Will you let me?"
"OK. For how long, a week?" he asked, thinking he could arrange to take some time off and go with her.
"No. You don't get it. I want to go away. All by myself. For as long as I need. I don't want you or Buaji or anyone to go with me." She said.
"You want to leave me? Leave your family? Where will you go? I won't allow it." He thundered.
"I didn't think you would," she sighed. "Well, it's a good thing I don't need your permission. Once the contract is over, I am leaving Arnav Singh Raizada."
"You can't go. I won't let you."
"I don't think you have the authority to stop me," said Khushi.
"I am your husband, and I will stop you!"
"Cheh mahine ke pati hain aap. Cheh mahine ki shaadi hai humaari. Cheh mahine ka haq bhi hai. Cheh mahine over, everything over," said Khushi.
"You're not going anywhere!" he said. A lazy smile played on his lips as he decided to change tactics. "It just means I have 2 months to change your mind."
"You don't get it, do you?" she asked exasperatedly. "This is not a game."
"Actually, that's exactly what it is. That's exactly what it always has been between you and me. A game of one-upmanship. But this time, if I win, we both win. And if I lose, we both lose. Just remember that Khushi."
"I think you've already lost Arnav. You might compel me to stay. But I think the Khushi you love, she's gone. She doesn't exist anymore. And this Khushi, she can never be happy with you. Know this."
For the first time, a slight look of alarm crept into his eyes. "You're lying." He said defiantly. "You can and you will be happy with me!"
"Unfortunately you can't force happiness down my throat like a piece of cake, Arnav," she smiled sadly.
"I love you Khushi. Give me a chance to prove it," he said finally, pleading with her.
"I know you do. But love isn't enough. Trust is essential too. And you absolutely didn't trust me. I can't respect someone who doesn't trust me. And I can't be with someone I can't respect, no matter how much I love them," she said, eyes downcast now.
"Can you be happy without me?" he asked challengingly, making a last-ditch effort.
"I don't know. But I know I'm not happy with you."
"Fine, then. If in 2 months, you're still not happy, I won't stop you. You can go." Said Arnav. She looked a little surprised that he'd given in, but said nothing, merely nodded. She turned to walk up the stairs to her room when he caught her hand and pulled her close. Before she knew it, he was kissing her.
"What are you doing?" she asked furiously, as she pulled away.
"Kissing my wife. I'm allowed. It's in the book."
"You don't play fair!" she complained, trying to steady her racing heart.
"I play to win, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. Let the games begin!"
Read and review people.
Cheers!
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