SS: How to Win Your Crush's Heart LAST PART PG 23 - Page 15

How to Win Your Crush's Heart part 9 [LAST PART]

She came out after sometime with her hair open and her arms wrapped across her chest over her short blue silk nightgown. She thought things were going to go down a different way so that's why she'd packed that but since it didn't turn out that way, she was mortified to come out like this. She felt Arnav's gaze on her but she tried to ignore it. 'Your loss, asshole,' she thought then suddenly, on the spot, she came up with a brilliant plan.

Undoubtedly, Khushi was head over heels in love with Arnav but deep down she just couldn't accept that he didn't have the same attraction towards her. It wasn't her lack of acceptance of the truth; it was her remembering all the times he spent alone time with her, including earlier that night during their dance. Would he really look at her the way he did if he didn't feel an ounce of attraction?

She sneakily smiled when her back was to him then put up her stern facade when she took her lotion out of her bag and sat up on the bed. She pulled up one smooth and lean leg and rubbed it with lotion before bringing up the other. His back was still towards her when she stuck her tongue out at him. She looked back down towards her legs when he got up and turned around, being taken aback for a moment when he saw her legs exposed like that on the bed before walking around to her and sitting in front of her. "Are you mad?"

Khushi put the lotion back on the bedside table before turning to give him a blank look. "Oh of course I'm not! Here I am on my wedding night and my husband won't even sleep with me! Yeah, I'm just the happiest person in this entire world!"

He looked down with a sad face before his eyebrow shot up and he looked at her with an amused expression when she continued with her rant. "I packed a nightie like this because I thought, 'Hey, I bet my husband would really appreciate this!' but nooo! Here I am, looking undeniably sexy and you're telling me you're not even turned on? ARE YOU FRICKEN GAY?!" She stared at him with wide and angry eyes, while her chest was heaving because of her rage just taking over.

Arnav stared at her too for some seconds, before he leaned closer to her, pushed her hair over her shoulder, and dipped to kiss the space right under her jaw.

Khushi's breath was caught right in her throat. 'Boy-who-was-a-wuss-for-suhaag-raat did whaaat?!' she wondered and when he looked at her again, she gave him a look full of shock. But she couldn't give in so quickly. She was trying to get him to realize things for himself – her getting too comfortable with his touch was not going to help her at all.

She pushed him away which left him a little frazzled and got up to turn off the lights before getting back in bed. She slept without any sheets since it was hot as it was and heard Arnav's slow movements as he went to the bathroom and came back out. She was on the verge of tears when she felt the bed fluctuate as he got on too. Never did she think that her first night – especially with him – would be spent in tears and anger.

A half hour passed and there was nothing but silence. Even their breathing was very quiet. "Are you awake?" Khushi whispered and got a response when he put his hand on her bare arm. She turned only her head towards her shoulder so he can hear her. "I just wanted to say…I'm a late sleeper so don't you dare think of waking me up early."

Arnav smiled because he knew she was lying and leaned up on his elbow while his mouth was by her ear. "But I want my breakfast made by you."

"This is a hotel, not your house, get your food from downstairs."

"Our home," said Arnav.

"What?"

"Don't say 'your house.' It's our home now."

Khushi turned on her back to show him that she was not impressed. "Don't play all romantic now."

He inched himself closer on the bed then held both her hands in his for a moment before putting them around his neck then placing a hand on her waist. He gave Khushi a small smirk and began to speak in a husky voice; a tone that Khushi had never heard before so it created instant goosebumps. "We need to get things clear – I'm your husband and I'm not going to let you get angry over petty issues. I love you as my wife right now, undoubtedly it'll turn to something more as we start living our lives together. If you remember, I asked if you wanted to do this – I didn't want to force you to do anything you don't want to. And lastly," he leaned himself closer until his face was an inch away from hers, "I'm not gay therefore the attraction that you were talking about is very much there."

Khushi thought she might die of the intimacy and from the way he was acting, it didn't seem it was just that for tonight. She held her breath when he brought his lips right in front of hers to the point that she could easily feel his breath on her lips. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she actually felt his lips touch hers. He trailed his lips along her jaw to her ear. "You know me better than I know myself – I do appreciate this…a lot." Khushi gasped and looked at him, where she saw an instant of a smirk before he crashed his lips against hers.

And she just let go. Her plan was already in motion and thankfully the first part had worked but the rest she didn't really care about right then. The love of her life was finally kissing her and that was all that she was focused on. She felt as his hand trailed from her back, back to her waist, then made its way down to her hips and even lower to the exposed parts of her thighs. Her hands moved to his back as she pulled him closer to her.

He might not have realized his love yet but her love grew for him when he said he still loved her as a wife. She trusted him on that so she took her sister's advice in that instant and put her attitude in check so she wasn't a complete bitch.

She pulled away for a moment to show him that she wasn't mad anymore. "So when we do go home, do you prefer eggs or toast and creme cheese?"

Arnav chuckled and stroked her forehead to remove the stray hairs too. "I'll eat whatever you're eating."

"Even sweets in the morning?"

Arnav made a face. "In the morning? No, no, please, anything else but that."

"You're too demanding," Khushi joked with a frown.

"I am?" Arnav asked, thinking she was serious. She smiled and shook her head no. "Khushi…ek baar bolo."

"What?"

"We're married now so…that makes me your what?"

"My driver," Khushi said laughing. Arnav's brow raised and he tickled her side making her curl up into him laughing more. "What else?" He asked.

"My bank account," she said with a grin and couldn't help but relate the way he was acting with her now to all the other times they were alone. Only difference was that now they were married so he was flirting in a loving way, which she definitely couldn't complain about.

"And?" He probed.

"My caretaker."

"And?"

"There's too much to say Arnav, but I guess an easy one is husband." She finally said because she knew that's what he wanted to hear.

"What was that?" He asked with a teasing smirk.

"My husband! Can't you hear?"

"I can, and it sounds great. And you're my wife."

"Thanks for stating the obvious!"

"It's become a nice reality." He said and Khushi nodded in accordance. "I'm tired. I'll talk to you in the morning," she said and turned her back to him before she felt a strong arm pull her back on the bed until she hit a hard surface. He didn't say anything but simply wrapped his arm around her waist and they drifted to sleep.

****

Khushi opened her heavy eyelids as the sunrays hit her right on the face. She stretched on the spot before turning on her back and finding Arnav on the couch with his laptop on his lap. He looked up and smiled at her. "I got you coffee," he said pointing to a cup on the table in front of him.

Khushi nodded her head and got up to head to the bathroom. She was stopped when Arnav said something that made her freeze in her spot. "I was looking at all the emails we ever sent each other. There are actually so many!"

"You kept those?" Khushi, unable to believe that he, from the two, kept them.

"Of course! Didn't you?" His attention was on the screen and he was smiling at one when Khushi's answer made him look at her with furrowed eyebrows and a sense of hurt.

"I didn't…I deleted them." She didn't know what else to say so she just hurried to the bathroom. She went in and smiled to herself. His reaction was a sad one but a good one for her case.

She thought he'd forget but he clearly didn't when she came out and his laptop was on the table so it meant they were in for a serious talk. "Why did you delete my messages?"

"You never wrote to me again so I took that as an indication that you didn't care anymore. What would I do with old emails if they don't mean anything?"

Arnav's eyebrows shot up. "They didn't mean anything?"

"Well…you're the one who stopped writing!"

"That didn't mean I stopped caring." He got up and began to walk to Khushi but she quickly walked back to the bed. "You never sent me an email for my birthday."

"Things were complicated…I was…shy," he struggled to find the proper words and went to sit in front of Khushi again. She gaped at him and doubted that claim. "Shy? It's an email, not a wedding proposal!"

Arnav sighed and finally let the beans spill. "Since the age of 17, my mother has been arranging our marriage."

Khushi's mouth dropped open but with her lips curling at the corners. She found that absolutely adorable.

"She'd often tease me about it and if you noticed, that's why I didn't talk to you around our parents. And then after the last time you guys came to our house, we had both finished university by then and I got a hang of the company so that's when she brought up the topic of marriage again but she never did anything about it. I thought you may have had some idea about this since you're best friends with Di, so…I was just shy to communicate much."

Khushi felt a load being lifted off her shoulders. But to have thought that since the age of 17, when they were only teenagers, his mother wanted her as Arnav's wife, it sent butterflies in her stomach even though she was his wife then and there. But she was glad he was slowly opening up so she carefully probed.

"Why did you keep the emails?"

Arnav looked at her like she was crazy. "Because…it's…important for me! It represents our friendship."

Khushi nodded her head in understanding and looked down at her hands that were tangled together. She remained quiet until Arnav asked her if she was okay. She slowly lifted her gaze to him. "Can I ask something?"

"You can ask whatever you want, you have that right!"

"Have you ever been in love with a girl before we got married?" She carefully watched his expressions as he was clearly trying to come up with an answer. "I'm not sure…" he finally said, looking at her a hesitantly. "You?"

She got up and walked to the large window and smiled because her love for him always did that to her. "I have…"

"Who was it?" He asked and she could hear the obvious curiosity in his tone. She felt his presence as he hovered behind her.

"He was my childhood love," she turned around to face him. "He's pretty amazing, he…" she paused for a second to let out a lighthearted chuckle. "He knows how to easily make me laugh and so much more. You would love him if you knew him."

"Where is he now?"

"He's married." She said bluntly.

Arnav's eyes softened and he suddenly gave her a new look altogether. A knowing look…a look that spoke volumes and that she'd seen the day before during their dance. He slightly tilted his head to one side. "Are you disappointed?"

Khushi shrugged her shoulders. "He doesn't love me back the way I love him so…there's not much I can do."

"I think he's an asshole for not realizing it earlier," Arnav said in a low voice. Khushi snorted and agreed with him with a nod of her head. He started walking towards her until her back hit the wall right next to the window.

"Khushi…would you ever forgive him if he came back?" He asked and she couldn't understand why his eyes expressed a hint of pain…or maybe guilt? Like an epiphany, Khushi suddenly realized why he was saying all that. He finally cracked the code. 'Baghwan ji!!! He finally understands! I think…' she thought as her heart started to speed up because of her high hopes.

"It depends…he'd have to pull his ears but I don't think I'd forgive him."

"Why not?" Arnav asked with a frown.

"He's put me through a lot of pain; the kind that he really wouldn't understand." She was so tempted to just hug him but she slowly brought her hands to her back to retrain herself.

"I think he'd feel the pain the moment you reject him." At last Arnav Singh Raizada was using his brain!

Khushi ever so slightly furrowed her eyebrows and pouted her lips. "It's his loss."

Tears spontaneously sprang to her eyes when Arnav grabbed his ears and pulled on them. "Please?"

Khushi wanted to give him a hard time for all the years that he gave her the hard time. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a crude look. "For what?"

"For not knowing what that unknown feeling was in me. Why I was always so happy to see you, why I talked the way I did with you whether it was over email or face to face, why I readily said yes to our marriage, why I'm desperate for your forgiveness right now." He moved his hands to cup her face. "Please say you'll forgive me and that I'm not too late."

Khushi's tears rolled down her cheeks and Arnav wiped them away with his thumbs. She let out a light chuckle and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I've waited for thirteen years for this moment. It took you one hell of a long time to realize it, but holding a grudge was never my thing. You know that well," she said with a smile and he nodded his head before he slowly came closer to her face. She closed her eyes and felt his tender kiss against one eyelid before he kissed the other.

He tucked one side of her hair behind her ear to whisper in it. "I love you, and it's definitely the same kind of love that you have for me."

When he pulled back to look at her, he saw her hold back a giggle. "I'm sorry but I wasn't talking about you. I'm in love with another guy and his name is Bankelaal."

Arnav half smiled. He was in no mood to joke like their usual. He just wanted to spend the time loving her and nothing less. "You can tell your Bankelaal that you're taken, by me and only me." He placed her head in the crook of his neck while he held her tightly in an embrace. They had a lot of firsts for other things; similarly, this was their first hug that definitely held a lot of importance. Khushi won Arnav's heart a long time ago but he never realized it until she put things in perspective. But she never had to try hard because being herself is what he loved.

KAHANI ABHI BAAKI HAI MERE DOST!

Arnav pulled away and took her hand as he sat her down next to him on the couch. He turned the laptop towards him and pointed to a folder in his email with her name. He clicked on it and it opened to Khushi's name showing up over and over again for the hundreds of emails they'd written to each other. "You saw that?" He asked and she nodded her head with a smile. "Well, wait for this," he said and clicked on his drafts folder.

Her smile fell as she stared at all the unsent emails he'd written for her. He opened the one he'd typed up for her birthday and her lips quivered as the waterworks started for her. "I never stopped caring," Arnav said again and pulled her into his chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and looked up at him with wet tears. "Thank you."

Arnav squeezed her cheeks and shook his head no. "I never understood why I was doing this but what to say? Dil toh pagal hai. Sometimes you don't realize the most obvious things."

"Ab aapke dil shant hai ya nahi? (Is your heart at peace now?)" She asked teasingly but Arnav responded anyways with a positive nod of the head. "Completely," he said and wiped her tears before lifting her chin to kiss her with his new found love.

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Hey guys...to be honest I'm not very happy posting this last part. I'm afraid you guys will find it stupid and I just feel so unsure about this but I mean...at this point you've already read the part. To be honest, it wasn't supposed to end so quickly but I have my reasons why I have to do it and I would have been restless if I were to wait a month to finish it. But I mean...I'm actually genuinely sorry if this part didn't meet expectations. 😔 I tried to alter it many times, but it seems my brain isn't cooperating so that's why I'm just posting it before I find more reasons to change it.

Aside from that, I want to thank you guys for being so kind this entire time. lol, I know the journey with me is never too long cause I update everyday and I usually write SS's but, still, I'm very grateful. I'm someone who talks a LOT so as much as I want to go on and on about thanking you guys, I'll just stop because i've already written two paragraphs. 😲😆

LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH!