IPKKND SS - Stronger (Updated Chap 2 and 3 up)

Hi again!

I am back but this time with what I think is a two-shot... but it might develop into something a bit more like a SS, dunno yet.

My last fic was brimming with angst, so compensating for it this time, we have something ultra-fluffy!!
❤️

Hope you guys like this one... please don't forget to review, I would love to hear from you...

Luv and Hugs,

Genie 😛


SS - Stronger Part 1

Arnav Singh Raizada had never been what you would call a patient man. He could remain calm and focused when it involved business decisions or meetings, but other than that, whatever ASR wanted, he had to have it in front of him when he wanted it. An ace businessman on the cutting edge of his industry, always on the go, always looking for that extra something and just that one step ahead of his competition every single time, ASR had learned very early in his life that success didn't come to the lazy, nor did it come to the perennially impatient.

But right at that moment, what he wanted was his wife, Khushi Kumai Gupta Singh Raizada... oh wait. It was Khushi Singh Raizada now. She'd stated quite emphatically to him the other day that she was going to answer only to the shortened version of her name from then on. And who was he to go against what Khushi Singh Raizada might want? Especially when it was exactly what he wanted too... and specifically when she'd turned to him with that slightly wicked gleam in her eyes that came out to play only when they were alone, and whispered in his ear that she wasn't even a 'Kumari' anymore, so the name didn't apply anyways. And followed it up by saying she was all Raizada now, so hanging onto the Gupta was kinda superfluous.

The memory of that day and the events that had followed those words, still managed to make him hard... and automatically search for that familiar figure, clad in a red saree tonight, that had made him curse the Shekhawat's for being such important business acquaintances. Had it been anything or anybody else, Arnav and Khushi Singh Raizada would've never even left their room that evening, not that either of them would've complained.

The relationship between Arnav and Khushi had always been one of matches and gasoline. All it needed was a tiny spark and things would build up to a raging fire within a heartbeat. Whether it was arguments or teasing, romance or anger, what both the incredibly passionate and headstrong people involved loved, was the instant and intense emotional response they could get from the other, something that not many third parties could achieve.

Arnav was pulled out of such pleasant thoughts as he spied a willowy figure clad in a deep red saree off to one side, conversing politely but clearly uninterestedly with an older man, who might've been a business acquaintance of AR Designs. And in that moment, Arnav had decided. The way that man was looking, no... leering at his wife, he would no longer be doing any business with the Raizadas.

Khushi, on the other hand, seemed to be quite desperately searching for someone, her eyes skittering along the crowd as she tried to find out where that one person was, whom she was searching for. The moment her eyes latched onto his figure, a picture of perfection, standing in the middle of the room, clad in his signature Armani, with that permanent smirk on his face, Arnav could almost feel the waves of relief rolling off of her. But that was only until the smirk on his face and the fact that he knew of her predicament and had done nothing to save her, registered on her mind.

He could accurately pinpoint the moment that revelation happened... her beautiful hazel eyes, the eyes that took up so much space in his dreamscape, widened for a second and narrowed. And while the relieved smile lingered on her lips, the slight glint of anger, a look that promised retribution, maybe even a couple of nights on the recliner, came into her eyes.

The smirk twisting his lips growing with each successive moment, ASR made his way to his wife, and smoothly inserted himself into the completely pointless conversation the middle aged man was trying to have with his wife, while ogling her from close range. Sliding his arm casually around her waist and letting his fingers linger at the bare skin that was revealed due to the saree, produced the expected slight shudder. He felt Khushi scoot a bit closer to his frame, molding herself to his quiet strength, as she released a soft sigh that felt like she'd been holding in for quite some time. Arnav knew that however angry Khushi might be with him, she would never spurn his touch, a fact that was proved, when he felt her body sliding closer, almost fitting itself into his side. The feel of her soft warmth burrowing into his body made him tighten his arm around her almost imperceptibly, but he knew she felt it as she wriggled even closer.

The two of them had been so involved in each other that they hadn't noticed the way Mr. Modi had started stuttering the second Arnav Singh Raizada made his appearance. Apparently, ogling Mrs. Raizada came easily, but chatting with her husband was close to impossible. So it was with a mutual sigh of relief that the three of them parted company at Arnav's curt but unquestioned 'Excuse us...', exactly three seconds later.

Without so much as a warning, Khushi broke out into a litany of complaints, all of them leading to and culminating in a firm order to take her home that moment.

"Come on Arnav, Mujhe ghar le chaliye!... If you're done with your wheeling and dealing, I would like to go home. This party is filled with old men leering at women and women saying nasty things about other women."

Arnav might've smirked at her childishness and said something a bit cutting, leading in to their usual mocking banter, had it not been for the slight waver in her voice at the end of the pronouncement. She's started out with gusto, her complaints coming loud and clear, but midway, something had happened, or rather, it was as if she remembered something that had affected her, and her voice had taken on a slight quaver. Immediately, all his senses were alert. Something, or someone had managed to hurt his Khushi and they would be paying for it or he wasn't Arnav Singh Raizada.

"Khushi, what happened?"

Had anyone who knew ASR from work, seen him now, they would've definitely refused to believe that it was the same man. But he was all Arnav now, his chocolate brown eyes wide and glowing, trained firmly on hers, the emotions in them literally spilling over. Worry and concern warred for second spot, while love, warm and comforting, filled his gaze. His hands were softly framing her face as he held her close to him, his body providing her the warmth and security that she seemed to need. His wife seemed to relax a bit at the physical closeness, before she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and shook her head, as if to clear her mind.

When she opened her eyes again a few seconds later, they were devoid of the pain he'd seen in them just a minute back, and her lips were stretching in a happy smile that was pretty much the definition of Khushi Singh Raizada.

Knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her if he didn't insist upon it right now, Arnav tightened his grip on the sides of her face, his thumb tracing lazy patters over her cheekbone and slightly nudged her against the wall with his body caging hers.

"Khushi... I want you to tell me what happened"

With a slight smile, she shook her head again, this time bringin up her small hands to rest on his cheekbones.

"It's nothing Arnav. Just some jealous old ladies commenting about how I managed to land you and a place in your wealthy family by... let's say, less than accepted means. That there's no way a woman like me could've actually managed to catch Arnav Singh Raizada's eye, had it not been for my other... assets"

Without conscious thought, Arnav's hands, that had been stroking her cheeks softly, stopped and tightened, as he tried to rein in his temper, which was flaring dangerously. As if she knew what was happening, (and who was he kidding, of course she did, she was his wife for God's sake!) Khushi's cool, soft hands started to stroke his face, her fingers dancing along his cheekbones and up to his forehead and back to the nape of his neck, where they slid into his crisp but soft hair.

"Arnav... calm down. It was just some jealous old hags that had wanted to marry off their anorexic daughters to your bank account. It's not important... and it's not going to change anything. You're all mine and I don't plan on sharing you... ever"

And for the first time, Khushi Singh Raizada, without even looking around to see if anybody was watching them, leaned up and softly pressed her lips to her husband's. Though it was a fleeting kiss, and Khushi was blushing crimson by the time she stepped back, the difference it made to Arnav's emotional state, was considerable. The man who had just seconds ago been on the verge of causing someone some physical damage, was back to staring deeply into his wife's wide, guileless hazel eyes.

"Hmm... I love it when you get all possessive. Shall we take our little party home Mrs. Raizada?"

Blushing red again, Khushi just nodded her head, all the while staring at her toes, her hands busy fiddling with the buttons on his waistcoat. Apparently, all her bravery for the evening had been used up in that one act of kissing her husband.

"Let's just go and take our leave from the hosts... then we can get home and... maybe see if we can bring the possessive you out to play."

Twining his fingers around those of a still blushing Khushi, who now managed to look a bit scandalized but at the same time expectant, Arnav made his way back quickly into the ballroom, where the party was being held, intent on finding Mr. Shekhawat and making his excuses, so that they could leave as early as possible.



Chapter 2

you should definitely continue

wow,nice concept
loved 2 read it.
Plz add me.
W8ing 2 read it more.

Hi guys!
Thanks for the support... here's the next chapter.

Stronger - Chapter 02

And well, of course, things never went the way you wanted them to. The moment the couple entered the hall, Arnav was accosted by a group of businessmen including the host, to talk some more, and Khushi had been surrounded by the wives of the aforementioned group. Thankfully, by the time the twosome entered the party hall, Khushi's blush had receded, or else she might've had to listen to more than just veiled snide comments about how she'd managed to snag the uncatchable ASR.

For the whole of the twenty minutes it took for Mr. Shekhawat to hash out some new business proposal with him, Arnav made sure to pay attention to the man, all the while somehow managing to keep an eye on his Khushi. He knew that the so called women of society were nothing but hungry sharks clad in glittering sarees and dripping diamonds, and that they would view the recently wedded Khushi Singh Raizada as nothing more than tempting prey, something for them to sharpen their not-so-metaphorical claws on.

While he wanted desperately to protect his wife from any and everything that had the potential to hurt her in any way, Arnav knew that this time, it would be better to just let her take care of things on her side. Khushi might look fragile and meek, but he knew better than anyone else on earth, just how stubborn, brave and intelligent Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada was. She had the capability to handle anything and everything life threw at her and somehow, turn it to her advantage.

It was this quality that had gotten ASR's reluctant attention and admiration in the beginning and even now, Arnav knew that Khushi was more than competent enough to handle a bunch of gossipy old hags. Plus, he knew she might not appreciate his butting into what she considered her affairs, in fact, she might not like it enough to give him the silent treatment. It was more of a punishment to her than it was to him, because anyone who knew Khushi Singh Raizada, knew that if there was one thing she loved above all else, it was hearing her own voice. Okay, maybe not more than she loved Arnav, or say... jalebis. But definitely, for Khushi, to remain quiet for any period of time, was akin to torture. To both of them. Arnav had gotten used to having Khushi's happy voice filling his room, his home, his heart and his life, and not hearing her all the time, made him feel as if half of him was missing.

And to inflict that sort of punishment on both herself and him, Khushi would have to be pretty pissed off... which she would be, if he managed to do something to make the ladies at this party think she couldn't handle them or herself. So, wisely deciding to keep his distance, Arnav Singh Raizada nevertheless spent their time apart discretely keeping an eye on his wife and her progress in the social world.

Khushi Singh Raizada, for her part, was painfully aware of her husband's eyes on her the entire time she had to play the dumb blonde in front of all the other ladies. Khushi didn't know how she did, but ever since she'd met the man, she'd known exactly when Arnav Singh Raizada stepped into a room she was in. She knew just when his molten chocolate eyes would find her, she could feel his glance skimming over her like a soft caress or his stare as if he'd just pulled her body to his and hugged her close. It was almost unnerving, just how much Arnav could disconcert her just with one look.

And it had always been this way, right from day one. As Khushi Kumari Gupta was pretty much an innocent when it came to relationships between a man and a woman, she'd never really understood most of the comments men made, their double entendre, the suggestiveness, everything just went above her head. Their leering glances didn't.. but those, she could pretend she didn't notice.

But this man, Arnav Singh Raizada, had been something of a completely different nature. Right from day one, from her not so fortunate meeting with the young and ruthless business tycoon at Sheesh Mahal, she'd somehow known exactly what it was that hid behind those molten brown eyes of his and what it was that ran through his incisive mind. It was just his elusive heart that had always remained a stranger to her... and it had managed to stay beyond her reach for such a long time, that Khushi had almost convinced herself that she might never even get a glimpse of it in her lifetime.

The man knew very well how to drive her crazy... he'd been the rudest thing when they'd first met, he was ruthless in the way he conducted his business, but he'd also revealed a softer side, with his unparalleled love for his sister, his concern for his family and the way he softened and relaxed, when he thought no one was looking. Arnav Singh Raizada was a puzzle and not one she particularly wanted to take a crack at. But Devi Maiyya, it seemed had different plans.

The next few months had planned themselves in such a way that Khushi had spent her waking hours at Shantivan, literally stuck to ASR's side. What had been outright hatred had changed into quiet grudges, morphing further into reluctant admiration and perhaps even venturing out a bit into the territory of attraction. Of course, who wouldn't? He was the picture of perfection most of the time, clad in his signature Armani, or his delectable sweaters. But surprisingly, it was the Arnav side of his, the softer, slightly more relaxed part of him that rarely came out, that had attracted Khushi more than anything. It was the rare glimpse of humaneness that had kindled her emotions. And time, it seemed, had also worked it's magic on the reluctant businessman. He also seemed to have softened her way, a thought that had given her goosebumps back then.

He'd literally wooed her during the run up to her Jiji's wedding, danced with her at Payal's sangeet, there was that kiss... He'd almost lulled her into believing that he'd changed, that he wasn't the same ASR she'd hated in the beginning. But from her Jiji's mehendi, when she'd had that scary encounter with Shyam-ji, which she'd at that time thought he didn't know about, he'd changed. Now she knew why... but back then, it had baffled her, especially when he'd kidnapped her from her own sister's wedding, only to force her to marry him then and there. She couldn't figure him out... one minute he was so romantic and almost... sweet. But the next, he was the personification of a heartless businessman, a Demon Lord, who reveled in destroying things and people. How cold she have thought she might love somebody like that?

But love or not, she was by then tied to his side forever, or in his words, for the next six months as his wife. Whether he was willing to treat their marriage as a true one or not, she wasn't the type to take these things lightly. For her, marriage was a once in a lifetime thing, and it lasted till either or both of them were alive. So, for all intents and purposes, Khushi Kumari Gupta had become a part of the life of a man who claimed to hate her for something she hadn't done, but couldn't prove that she hadn't. Except, Arnav hadn't behaved like a man who hated the woman he was married to. Instead, he was the picture of one who was in pain, like he didn't know what or who to believe. Sure, he was rude, insufferable and tried everything he could to make her life miserable, but it was only at times he remembered that he had to.

For some reason, unknown to her then, he'd been taking some sort of twisted revenge on her. It had never made sense to her, even after she came to know the truth of the situation, but it had explained some of his behavior. She's tried to betray his Di, by having an affair with his Jijaji and he thought he'd turned the whole thing around on her by marrying her and keeping her in the same house as her ex-lover, but in an unattainable position now.

Even then, when he'd claimed to hate her, Arnav had never been wantedly violent. He might threaten her, intimidate, even yell at her at times, but he'd never once tried to force himself on her or been physically violent with her. Not like some other people that came to her mind. They didn't like each other, rather, they claimed so, but they'd managed to hang onto a relatively peaceful medium when that ill-fated kidnapping had happened.


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Read Chapter 1 here

So that was it... second chapter done. Will put up the third one soon. Please add me if you want updates, and don't forget to review!

Hugs,

Genie

👍🏼good job..pl do continue

nice1
thanx 4 d pm.
Continue soon.

Hi!... First off, thanks for the support MISTIE and crazyyfan... ❤️ you guys :)

Here's the next chapter, hopefully this'll tide you over till I can finish writing the next one. Sadly, not much ArHi romance here cuz this is all in fb 🤔

As always, don't forget to review :)

Stronger - Chapter 03

Or atleast, she'd thought of it as being ill-fated at that time. Now as she looked back at it, the kidnapping was perhaps the biggest turning point in their relationship. Before, when he'd been leaving for London, Arnav had been positively barbaric to her. She hadn't known why or how she needed to react to it... but his period of captivity had forced both of them to see things in perspective. Whether it had been the knowledge of his own mortality or something else entirely, like his suppressed emotions leaking out of the icy cage he'd forever locked them in, Arnav Singh Raizada had taken the rare first step and told her he loved her... over the phone.

Whether he'd really meant it as a sign to tell her that all wasn't well, or not, she didn't know even now... and honestly, she didn't care. Hearing those words from him had become something of an unattainable dream for her, and whether he meant them or not, the words themselves held enough importance for her that they'd literally broken her that day. The day he finally said them to her, he wasn't with her, wasn't in front of her, and might never be, if his kidnappers had their way... nor would she be able to tell those three words back to him. Not then. Not when she wasn't quite sure he'd meant those words as they were meant to be said.

But one thing those dratted words had done, was that they'd given Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada the necessary morale boost and the will to channel her energy into finding just what the heck was going on. What she'd found out, over the next month, with the unlikely help of Mamiji and Nanheji, had been truly disastrous. They'd found that Shyamji, not being content with just being a slimy snake, wanted to kill Arnav so that he could become the sole heir, via Anjali, to all the Raizada properties and holdings. He was crazy enough to be ready to kill his own brother-in-law over money... money, that Arnav might've just handed over to Shyam, had Anjali said so. A fact even Hari Prakashji might've been able to state with unquestionable authority.

It had taken a whole month, including one failed attempt to free Arnav, to get enough proof against the snake in the grass, so that she could reveal the truth of the whole thing, first to her husband, and then with him by her side, to her entire family. Getting to Arnav for the first time had been the most nerve wracking thing in the world, but the second she saw him, all of her fear, pain, frustration, nervousness... everything had vanished as if they were never there. All that was left was relief... humongous amounts of relief that she'd found him... and love. The love she felt for him and the love that she now knew he felt for her.

That evening and night spent with him on the run might've been the most emotionally exhausting time of her life... the two of them had gone through a whole rollercoaster of emotions... ending, sadly in separation, unwillingly on her part.

But that day had given her the necessary impetus. She now knew that he was out there somewhere and that he too, was trying to get back to her. That was all she needed. And with the effort coming from both of them, when had they ever failed?... With Arnav freeing himself and her finding him again, at the same time, the whole thing about Shyam's involvement had come to a head in the span of one night.

And she would thank Devi Maiyya every day and every night that Arnav had been willing to listen to her and believe her, which he'd assured her he did, even before she gave him any proof. He wasn't the youngest and most successful business tycoon of Asia for nothing. He'd used his brains during the time he'd been held captive and worked out half the situation. The other half was supplied by Khushi and everything just fit in his head.

The encounter with Shyam after seeing him and Khushi at the terrace, the same one which had led to Arnav deciding to marry Khushi, had paved the way for Arnav's understanding of just what sort of a man Shyam Manohar Jha was. That coupled with his knowledge of Khushi's innocence in the matter entirely, a fact that had come to light slowly but surely, led him to start questioning just who had been lying to him. Khushi, to his knowledge had never done anything that she knew would hurt anyone.

She was childish, a bit dumb sometimes, was never practical and believed in things that had no bearing on real life... but she was definitely not the kind of person who would wantonly try to hurt a person or take away their happiness. She could definitely not be the one who was trying to hurt his Di here. Not she, who believed in the relationship between them and gave it the necessary respect and importance, even when he himself had pared it down to nothing but a contract spanning six months.

Once that little fact had situated itself in a prime location inside his brain, Arnav Singh Raizada had then done what he did best. With all the time he'd had while in captivity, he'd gone over every bit of the conversation that Khushi and Shyam had been having, gone over it again and again like it was a legal document that he'd have to sign. Also, he'd gone over everything that had happened before that, including his knowledge of Khushi's engagement, the timing of it coinciding with her father's ill health, what she'd told them about her fiance and the fact that she'd never met his brother-in-law till after that.

And while the storyline he'd come up with in the end seemed a bit too dramatic and moviescript-like, the facts fit... and that was all that Arnav was ready to believe at the moment. Facts... things he was sure of. Things that couldn't be lies perpetrated by anyone...

Like the fact that Shyam Manohar Jha was a lying cheat who was ready to betray his own loving wife for another woman, who just happened to be Khushi.

Like the fact that Khushi had never overtly done or said anything to hurt his sister, in all her time spent at Shantivan, when she very likely could've used the numerous opportunities she'd had.

Like the fact that he knew, deep down, that Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada wasn't a gold digger in any way.

Like the fact that Khushi was the only person other than his Di, that had successfully slipped beneath the Arnav Singh Raizada exterior and known the Arnav inside, even though he hadn't wanted that.

Like the fact that he, Arnav Singh Raizada... loved her.

More than he thought he would be capable of loving someone.

He knew that she would think of his proclamation of love as being some sort of an indication for her that something was wrong, but honest to whatever God she chose to believe in, he'd meant every word of it in the way it was meant to be said. He really did love Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada... every little frustrating, alluring, childish and utterly beautiful bit of her.

Which was why he'd believed what she said. It was fairly easy to see the truth of it in her eyes, in her very soul. He didn't need proof to know that his wife was innocent of wrongdoing. And this time, he'd made sure he verbalized his thoughts and told her so. While it had been a difficult endeavor for him, the results had certainly made it all worth the effort.

It wasn't the 'I love you' she'd dreamed day and night of, but it was an 'I trust you' and ironically, these three words held more importance for her now than even those three words she'd been waiting for since the dawn of her emotions towards him.

And had their lives been a movie, much like the Salman Khan ones she liked so much, they would've had the whole night to themselves, indulging in a romantic number, and reaffirming their love for each other. But life, especially theirs, was not so much like a movie. Okay, there was a villain, a hero and a heroine, plenty of misunderstandings, lots of emotions, a big twist in the tale and the dramatic buildup to the big final showdown. All of it was there, but both Arnav and Khushi knew that while a showdown was inevitable, they would still have to live with the fallout of it, which would definitely not be all happiness and joy like at the end of all those movies.

Someone, in fact more than just one member of their family was bound to be extremely hurt by the end of it all and the two of them still had no idea of how to go about dealing with it. They needed to expose Shyam's truth to the family but in doing so, they would also be doing the one thing neither of them wanted to... they would be hurting Anjali very badly. Anjali Jha had two strengths in her life... her husband and her brother.

And now, they were going to pull that one pillar off of her support system and reveal to her just what sort of man she had been in love with all these years. It was the one thing they would've avoided if they could have, but it needed to be done. More for her sake than for theirs. Because the longer that man had free reign at the Raizada house, the more danger they were all in. If he was willing to kill Arnav for money, who was to say that he wouldn't stoop to harming or killing the others in the house to achieve his sick and twisted goals?

With their hearts heavy with what they were about to do and their minds whirling with thoughts of how else to tackle the scenario, Arnav and Khushi had made their way back to Shantivan. But even they couldn't have foreseen the explosive confrontation that was to come.

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So that's it for now, will be back with the next chapter soon. Don't forget to review, your feedback sorta makes my day!

Till then,

Cheers

Genie

Read Chapter 01 here

and

Chapter 02 here

i am d 1st 2 comment..yipee.
oho loved it.
Amazing description of fb n thanx 4 d pm n continue soon dear.

Just read all three in one go! They were amazing. The thing I love the most is the way you describe them bein close to each other. *sigh* It's just so cute!!

Originally posted by: thebubblespop12

Just read all three in one go! They were amazing. The thing I love the most is the way you describe them bein close to each other. *sigh* It's just so cute!!

Thanks a lot for the amazing comment!...

I was kinda in the mood to write some fluff, so I am a teensy bit busy writing my third ArHi SS, called Beneath the stars, but I promise, I'll update this soon.

So stay tuned

Cheers

Genie😊