OS: Just A Kiss

Khushi felt Arnav smiling against her neck as she clutched his back with her left hand,while her other hand was still holding on to the pearl necklace. She too smiled through her tears. Laad governor did all this for her! Laad governor gave her a string of pearls!! Not white gold, not platinum... Pearls. Did he know, those beads gathered together with a string wasn't a jewelry, but they were hope for her? Hope that someday, eventually, he would gather together all of her scattered broken dreams with the string of his love.

As Khushi's teardrops fell on Arnav's shoulder, wetting the blessed sherwani in the process, she felt him pull away from the embrace. As she started to look up to his eyes, she noticed some starnds of her hair stuck to his stubble. She felt laughter bubble in her throat, & before she could stop all of it, a small laugh escaped her lips. Her eyes twinkled with glee.

& precisely in that instant, Arnav Singh Raizada, again met with the prank-pulling child-woman that was his wife Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. He smirked to himself. Look at the ridiculously large name she assigns to herself. Paagal. Then instantly sobering up, he noticed the twinkle in her eyes, the curve of her smile, her hands still lingering on his biceps. & he realized what a child she was in her heart still. He almost certainly knew any husbandly advances from him now, & she would turn into a nervous, shy woman. & while that woman only drove him to farther insanity, there was something endearingly familiar & soothing about this childish Khushi. Taking in a deep breath, Arnav made a painful decision. What's a couple more night to these excruciatingly painful last months?

He let go of Khushi's waist, & turned her towards the direction of the bathroom holding her shoulders. 'Go on. Change for the night. While you're in the wash room, I'll get out of these atrocities too.' he said flippantly.

Khushi blinked several times to clear her head & understand what was happening so quickly. But before she could turn around & search Arnav's eyes, he again gave her a nudge. Irritated slightly, she shrugged, took her nightdress from the cupboard & went inside the bathroom.

When Khushi emerged from the bathroom, changed in her pristine white night dress, she saw with amazement that Arnav had not only changed into his own night dress but he had also cleared the bed of his surprize gifts, which were now lying in a neat pile on the coffe table. Her white dupatta lying at the foot of her side of the bed. & he was lying sprawled on his side of the bed in a totally relaxed posture as if resting at the end of a very uneventful day! She stared at him bewilderingly for a few moments, then turned around disappointed & started removing her earrings in front of the dressing table after draping her hair over her right shoulder.

'Khushi?...' Arnav called her expectantly. Turning around to watch what he wanted, she did a double take to see he was propped up on his elbow on the bed, while his other hand was extended towards her in a magnetic invitation. Everything stood still for Khushi. Her whole world beacme centered on that inviting hand. She dropped the sole earring in her hand on the floor, the other already lying on the dresser. Before she could stop herself, she clutched at the hand like a drowning person would clutch at a straw. Arnav didn't pull her, he just held her hand firmly. Khushi swallowed a gulp of air. Then in a couple of hurried movements she jumped on the bed, lied down facing him, & hugged his waist tightly, burrowing her face in his chest. She prayed fervently to her Devi Maiyya that Arnav ji would hold her as tightly as he was doing before. Just hold her.

Arnav could feel her shaking like a sparrow, holding onto him for dear life. In that instant he felt such an overwhelming feeling of love for her, that he was sure that he would never in a hundred year would be able to express the full extent of it to her. Instead of holding her closer, to give his libido some time to calm down, he hooked his index finger under her delicate chin & tilted her face up, smiling a most sweet smile telling her what his vocal cords wouldn't. As Khushi saw that smile, she felt the breath constrict in her throat.

She tried to take a deep intake of breath to fill her lungs. Then gulping nervously, she did the most daring thing. She couldn't believe herself as she saw her right hand rise & her fingers tracing the corner of his lips, feeling his smile. They looked at each other for several moments , gauging each other's reactions. Then Arnav tuned his head slightly, looked up at her eyes & kissed her finger tips lightly. & after what she saw in those eyes, Khushi knew she had to ask this. 'Why did you send me to change just now? When we were.. I was.. You know..' She faltered lowering her eyes, coloring slightly. 'Hugging?' Arnav asked raising his eyebrows,tongue already in cheek.

Khushi narrowed her eyes at his cheekiness. 'How can you be so shameless? Saying things like these in joking.. But why am I even asking? Shameless should only be your middle name. Arnav Shameless Raizada! ASR!! To think the things you did in Buaji's house!!! You had the gall to...' she was going on at the speed of a race car. before she could turn it in to WWIII, Arnav intervened. 'Shh.. Khushi!! Trying to show your wife your feelings isn't shamelessness!' he stated firmly, his hold on her waist getting tighter.

'Oh Yeah?? Then why did you turn me away just then?' she said while pushing at his chest with her fists. Then another thought struck her mind. Narrowing her eyes she asked indignantly, 'Or do you only try to come near me because I wouldn't let you? You just want to prove you can do whatever you want to do, & I can't stop you, right? Hai na??!!'

Arnav scanned the liveliness on her face,the redness of her nose with growing amusement. 'I don't need to prove something which is already established, Khushi.' Then seeing how it irked her farther, he contemplated telling her his reasons. Would she understand him? He shrugged a little, making up his mind.

'You are my wife Khushi. While I know, for you a marriage is for seven lives, for me it's not.' as he felt Khushi stiffening at his words, he kissed her forehead & continued. 'I don't really believe in reincarnations. But I guess it would be nice, if I had you to create innumerable problems for me in those lives too.' he chuckled & saw he had his wife's full attention now. 'We are married Khushi. I don't have to take advntage of whatever opportunity I get, while thanking my lucky stars for them. Contrary to whatever you might think, you are not going anywhere leaving me alone.' he noticed with satisfaction how Khushi's fists clutched his vest at his words of her leaving him alone. He continued, ' So Mrs. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada, I am going to spare you tonight. & we'll continue this...' he saw how Khushi's eyes focused on his lips, concentrating hard on his words, not wanting to miss his next words. Laughing inwardly, he said flippantly, 'Whenever next I feel the inclination.'

He felt rather than saw waves of indignation surging through Khushi's body. Before she could ruin this moment with another one of her childish tantrums like the one in the Amezing Developers' office, he pulled her even closer & said in a breathy whisper, 'But let's give this night something to make itself memorable?'

There was a tender question in his eyes, that made Khushi ask almost immediately, 'What?'

Arnav answered just an inch away from her lips, 'A kiss goodnight...'

Khushi felt her eyes fill with tears as she saw the genuine question in his eyes. He isn't just gonna take it, when they both know it's his for the taking? Does he really know this, that if she gave it to him instead of him just claiming it, it will just be that much more precious?? She remembered her fairytale of the Beast. When did her beast turn into this prince? Or was she the princess, who was woken from a deadly slumber by the kiss of her true love? She was sure, Arnav was giving her her fairytale. She just wasn't sure anymore which one was it. Was it all of them, or was it neither of them? Did her Rakshas, her Shaitan just create a new fairytale for her? But it feels more right, it feels more real than any of the fairytale she ever heard. Given a little time, she was sure Arnav would beat all of those Prince Charming, since he was such a perfectionist!

Arnav saw her lost in thoughts, & he tilted her chin up with his finger tip. She looked up at him, & to his relief he saw only anticipation there, no fear or nervousness. He lowered his lips ever so slowly & then in a swoop took her lips in his. & then before Khushi could understand what happened, he pulled back, his pupils a little dilated. then he shook his head & said smiling ruefully, '& that's what they call a goodnight kiss. Sweet dreams Khushi.'

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_yTphvyiPU[/YOUTUBE]