#2 SS|TheContract+HerConditions|Link to New thread - Page 8

YO!!!
I am completely unsure about this update and how you will all take it...

BLACK is flashback... and ITALICS is RM Happenings...

NOTE: NO REVELATIONS TO ARNAV DURING HONEYMOON!

-Amzy

DAY 2

Athens

Their tour guide was a local Greek by the name of Stephanos. He had a slightly accented English. They had travelled to the Olympic Stadium in Athens, where their tour started and also where Stephanos received them.

Akash and Payal were walking in hand in hand, while Khushi was walking along with tour guide, bubbling with questions. The tour guide answered back with equal enthusiasm. Arnav was behind Stephanos and Khushi, looking at Khushi's skittering form. He had been stumped today morning.

When Arnav woke up, Khushi was awake already, sitting on the couch tying the lace of her sneakers.

Arnav frowned. Something was not right! He tilted his head, studying her. Khushi finished tying her lace and got up sighing in satisfaction. "Oh, you're awake? Get ready fast. The Grecian Taxi will be here soon to take us to Athens." She frowned. "Oh, hello? Where are you lost? We have ten minutes!"

"What the hell are you wearing?" he said in awe, scanning her white T-Shirt with multi-hued prints and her blue jeans, complete with black Nike sneakers.

Khushi frowned and turned to look into the mirror. "Why? Is something wrong? It's been more than two years since I wore any Western outfit! Buaji would never hear if it! Has the shirt gone tight? Or-"

"No, no. It is perfect! But why are you wearing it?" he said, surprised and confused.

Khushi's eyebrow shot up. "What, you didn't really think I would wear a saree or salwar or something when we are out on a tour did you? While trekking or hiking?"

"No, but I mean...You never wore Western stuff!" he argued, trying to make her SEE.

Understanding hit her and she said "I never said I never wear it. When I moved in with Amma and Babuji two years back, Buaji had insisted on me wearing Indian stuff-" she paused. "Never mind. You just get ready."

"Wait what? Two years back? I thought your parents died when you were EIGHT!"

Khushi flinched and shuddered visibly. "Yes they did! But I went to live with Amma and Babuji two years back only!" she snapped.

"Get Ready!" she said stiffly and stormed out.

It was then that Arnav realized he did not really know a lot about his wife's life.

Khushi was now standing still and gazing at the marble stadium. Her eyes raked over the building, as if studying it. "Amazing!" she exclaimed.

She fished out a camera from her bag and clicked a picture. She turned to Akash and Payal. "Jiji, Jijaji! I want to click a picture of you both! Stand right there please!" she said, moving her right hand.

Akash and Payal obliged and got a picture clicked. "Khushiji! Yours and Bhai's turn." Akash said, taking the camera.

Khushi's smiled dropped for a millisecond and was replaced with a hesitant one. Before she could say anything, Arnav said "Sure Akash!"

Arnav was doing this so that Akash would not suspect their comfort level in their relationship anymore, or that is what his brain told him. He strode over casually to Khushi and pulled her sideways into him by the waist. Her heart beat erratically and her throat went dry. She looked up at his face curiously as he looked into the camera and gave his signature smirk.

And that was how the moment froze in the photo. Arnav smirking into the camera with hand around Khushi's waist. She was looking up at him, with a slight rose tinting her cheeks.

To anyone who saw the picture, they would look like two pieces of perfectly fitting puzzles.

They were driving around in a Hummer (I think it can accommodate six people) in Athens, driven by Stephanos. They were on the Syntagma Square.

Arnav observed Khushi and realised that she had a look in her eyes that he had never seen before. She was seriously studying the landscape outside and listening to Stephanos with utmost concentration.

"Heyy Stephanos! Stop! Aren't we going to see the Pillars of Zeus?" Khushi said loudly.

Stephanos looked at Khushi from the rear view mirror with amusement. "Madame, ze parkeeng is dhath side!"

Khushi nodded as Payal was looking at Khushi and talking to Akash with a smile, while Arnav looked at Khushi with surprise. He was already shocked with Khushi's fluency in English ( I know that in show her English is terrible, but this is kind of needed. Can you just assume that Khushi always spoke in Hindi but there was no incident which proved her English to be terrible!? )

Curiosity won over his ever present anger at her. "Khushi, how do you know about it all? You know so much?"

Khushi rolled her eyes. "Arnavji, when people go travelling, you must do all research on what is worth seeing in your destination. We need to do our own homeworks!"

Before he could reply, Khushi had already turned away.

"Hello, Anjaliji?"

"Yes Amitji. Kuch kaam tha aapko?"

"Yes Anjaliji... I need to see you. There is something you should know about your husband."

Anjali gasped. How had Amitji come to know?!

"I-I know already..." Anjali said, in a hoarse whisper.

Silence. "You do? Then why don't you leave him?!" he growled.

"I will... Once my princess is born."

"Does your brother know?" he asked harshly.

She remembered what Khushiji said when she had asked if everything was alright between her and Chhote. "Arey Di, everything is fine. He d-doesn't know. Yet."

"No Amitji. My brother doesn't know?"

"Why didn't you tell him? He ought to know..."

"Khushiji didn't want him to know. Besides, there is no telling what he'll do if he finds out to Shyamji..."

"Anjaliji, do something. Your creep of a husband is harassing my Princess... And there is more that you need to know. I need to meet you."

Anjali bit her lip. "Well, Alright. Tell me where, when?"

"Tomorrow at Golden Drop Cafe!"

Few minutes later, they were all walking on the lush green field that housed the Pillars of Zeus. The pillars were only the remnants of the colossal structure that was once the Temple of Olympic Zeus.

As soon as they were near the pillars, Khushi broke into a sprint to the nearest pillar and gingerly ran her fingers vertically down. Arnav caught up with her just in time to hear her murmur "Pentelic Marble..."

"Pente- what?" Arnav said, annoyed that she seemed to know more.

Still in a daze, Khushi said "When it was first built, it was intended to be built of local limestone and was supposed to be Doric style. Here stood a smaller temple built by the tyrant emperor Peisistratus, but his sons demolished it and started building another one. That was demolished as well when one of his sons died and finally Romans built it years later with Pentelic marble which is of high quality and quite expensive..."

Akash and Payal caught up with them with Stephanos trailing behind them. Khushi continued "..and the Romans built it in Corinthian style and-"

Payal gave a pat on Khushi's head which made her stop her tirade and she turned red.

"Uh, sorry" she said sheepishly.

Arnav looked at her, utterly amazed that she knew so much.

"Khushi, tu bhi na. I'll bet Arnavji didn't understand a thing you said!" Payal laughed. "Not everyone has done architecture Khushi..."

What?! "Khushi you-"

Khushi did not want to answer Arnav, but Jiji and Jijaji were there and she did not want to make an issue out of things. "Yes Arnavji. I must have forgotten to tell you. I have done B.Arc and M.Arc from IIT" she said non-chalantly and walked off to chat with Stephanos.

Forgot?! What the-! She was well educated and held such honorable qualifications and she forgot'?!

He walked to Khushi and said "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Excuse me Stephanos." Khushi smiled and walked with Arnav.

Arnav took her wrist and pulled her behind a nearby pillar. "Khushi, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you are qualified? And you could have worked in much better places, why did you join AR? Was it one of your dirty tricks to trap a rich man?"

Khushi pushed him. "I will answer your questions one by one Mr Raizada. I didn't tell you I was qualified, because WHY SHOULD I? Who am I to you? Who are YOU to me? And the answers to your second qestion is quite personal Mr Raizada. As for the third question, sorry to burst you bubble, but my whole world does not revolve around you anymore and who would want to trap a rich man like YOU. Rich or not, I would not want to waste my time 'plotting' on trapping an arrogant person like you...!"

With that, she walked away to join Payal, Akash and Stephanos.

Arnav was stunned. All he had caught in that conversation was 'My world does not revolve around you ANYMORE'...

Evening-

All the four of them returned to their chalet in the evening after seeing the Acropolis. Khushi had insisted that they see the Acropolis properly the next day. Everyone agreed and started off to bed after an early dinner.

"Uhm, you guys go ahead. I'll join you after sometime'" Khushi said.

Everyone looked at her, but Khushi had eyes only for Payal. A silent communication passed between the sisters and Payal gave her a sad smile and nodded.

Khushi smiled gratefully and started towards the beach when Arnav came behind her. Khushi paused and turned to look at him. "Arnavji, I'd like to be alone'please?"

Arnav looked at her with a small frown as she ran off towards the beach.

"Let's go Bhai'" Akash said.

Akash, Arnav and Payal headed upstairs.

*

Arnav stood in the balcony of the room and watched a figure in white sitting in the sand looking at the dark waters of the Aegean. She got up suddenly and it seemed like she was making a phone call. He saw her try 4 to 5 times and then watched in shock as she suddenly flung the phone into the water. It didn't fall too far into the sea.
He saw her pat her forehead and shaking her head and waded into the water to the spot where he had made out the phone to have fallen.

"What the-!"

Was this girl crazy? Didn't she feel the coldness of the water and she just walked into the water with her salwar!

He saw her punch the air in victory and hold up the phone dripping wet in her hand. She got up once and for some reason fell back into the water.

He saw her yell something incoherent at the sky and come out drenched completely of sea water.

*

Khushi stood on the beach, staring at the moon. She pulled out her mobile and hesitantly dialed the number she knew by heart' Her brother's phone'.She was trying from a Greek sim. Maybe he wouldn't recognize the caller? There was no answer the other end. She sighed. Two years. Two bloody years and he didn't bother to tell her where he was, how he was and not even give her his number' She empathized with him for the loss of Dhriti and Bhabhi in the same year but was that reason enough to isolate himself from the world? Did she mean nothing to him? He called rarely, once in 5 or 6 months. She knew Amma talked often to him, but even SHE didn't know his number'. The number she had called to just now was something she had found in the draft of Bhabhi's report, with the number written below his name. She hadn't called for so long as she was afraid he wouldn't pick any call from India' Didn't work from Greece either did it?

She tried once more' thrice' the fifth time failed as well. She looked at her phone in anger and threw it. As soon as she heard the 'plop', realization came pushing anger behind.

"Shit!"

She ran towards where she thought her mobile was. The water was upto her ankles and as she was about to turn, another wave came in and she stumbled into the water.

"Devi Maiyya, why are you so against me today!" she screamed at the sky and walked out huffing with the phone.

She tiptoed into the chalet and up the stairs to the room she and Arnav shared. The light was on, and Arnav wasn't there. She walked stealthily to the balcony and wrung her hair off the droplets of water, cursing the salt which she could feel sticking to her body, making her want to itch.

Arnav came out of the bathroom to see a drenched Khushi standing in the balcony, cursing.

"Khushi?"

"What!" she snapped and whirled around to look at him.

Arnav had to use every ounce of self-control to not gape at her like an open-mouthed idiot. But his eyes already betrayed him as they widened at the sight of her.

Khushi's white salwar was clingling to her body like second skin. To make matters worse, it was wet and transparent. He could see her stomach and her shoulders. Water dripped from her hair to her already wet salwar.

Blushing under his intense gaze, she turned away.

"Why did you throw the phone?" he asked, looking at the wet phone on the bed.

"Doesn't matter'."

"Well Mrs Raizada, looks like you have the same temper issues as me'" he said smirking.

Her head shot up. "TEMPORARY Mrs Raizada!" she snapped.

Arnav was shocked for a minute and smirked again. "You just confirmed it' I will get it repaired'"

"That isn't necessary' Get me a screw driver tomorrow'"

"To tighten your screws?" he mocked.

"No. To dismantle my mobile."

"What the-! I said I will get it repaired'"
"These are common problems Mr Raizada. I will dismantle the mobile and leave it out to dry then it will work perfectly fine again'" she said smoothly.
Having no experience of repairing things by himself, he nodded.

Khushi walked back inside.

By the time Arnav walked in, she was already asleep'.

I enjoyed it !!!!! 😃

When is the entry of the brother coming ?

Urmm! Well I m utterly confused. What just happened? I enjoyed the state of Arnav for sure. But Khushi? Even I m amazed. Want to read more about Khushi soon. Please update at the earliest possible. Also I m waiting for u to update A Prank That Went Too Far.

OMG khushi,i'm luving her attitude n arnav's plight!!!
jst luving this story!!!

wow its getting more interesting ...

Oh plz update

Wow nice wt hapend to driti and muskaan
gud one
poor khushi
thankx 4 pm :-)

love this update