ArHi SS: Quiet places (Read warning) [Completed] - Page 13

Now I have an issue with Arnav's reaction. Of course Khushi will have misgivings. She is way out of her comfort zone with the concept of sex to begin with and the additional experimentation she is trying so as to give him what he asked for. Instead of coaxing her out of her dilemma and giving her a platform to speak, he is the one who has shut her out just because she has expressed her misgiving.
BTW, speaking about hoping that khushi would talk more, what talking did he do? Other than the eloquent monolog where he expressed his need, he pointed her to online resources to do her own research. May be if he was confident enough to explain to her what he wanted, may be he could have gauged her comfort and where to draw the line.
This reaction seems to me like more of Arnav's lack of conviction about what he wants more than anger towards khushi.

Also, I could not gauge the kind of relationship these two share outside of their bedroom. Does Khushi feel comfortable to walk up to Arnav and talk about anything and everything? I am not sure they have reached that comfort zone yet, physical intimacy and experimentation not withstanding.


Do forgive my tone..this is an extremely engaging piece of writing and I might be too involved 😊

Originally posted by: manreet_gill

What a treasure of a story I have stumbled upon today.When reading your stories, I know in my heart of hearts that my bones will be rattled, displaced and jumbled back together in the length of one update, yet this story is another ideology altogether.In a society where 'sex sells' and we are surrounded by sexualised content in popular media and otherwise,our inherent prudishness denies our tongues to converse of... Sex. Strange isn't it?Powerplay in the bedroom comes from as Arnav says the consensus of two adults exploring something which breaks their usual moulds and boundaries to be someone else with the comfort of the person they love and trust. Similarly I can empathise with Khushi. How can causing the one you love pain, induce pleasure?

It is in my opinion ultimately about trust. Trusting the one you love and releasing yourself from every inhibition into someone else's hold. Yet does one want that level of power with something so precious? What if you overstep a mark before you even begin? I can sympathise, theorise and pick apart the ideas until the cows come home, but the answers are as complex as the question and the storywriter...

Manreet :)

Thank you.

Its not strange we don't talk about it because of the conservative bias and hypocrisy we surround ourselves with. Its a culture where child marriage was accepted for a very long time and it still is at places.

In this case, is trusting your partner enough? :-)

Originally posted by: Polkadots78

Now I have an issue with Arnav's reaction. Of course Khushi will have misgivings. She is way out of her comfort zone with the concept of sex to begin with and the additional experimentation she is trying so as to give him what he asked for. Instead of coaxing her out of her dilemma and giving her a platform to speak, he is the one who has shut her out just because she has expressed her misgiving.
BTW, speaking about hoping that khushi would talk more, what talking did he do? Other than the eloquent monolog where he expressed his need, he pointed her to online resources to do her own research. May be if he was confident enough to explain to her what he wanted, may be he could have gauged her comfort and where to draw the line.
This reaction seems to me like more of Arnav's lack of conviction about what he wants more than anger towards khushi.

Also, I could not gauge the kind of relationship these two share outside of their bedroom. Does Khushi feel comfortable to walk up to Arnav and talk about anything and everything? I am not sure they have reached that comfort zone yet, physical intimacy and experimentation not withstanding.

Do forgive my tone..this is an extremely engaging piece of writing and I might be too involved 😊

That's okay :-) I wish you had read some of the arguments done here. Because I have pretty much given a perspective (not necessarily mine.) from where Khushi is coming from.

When Arnav narrated his wants and needs, why didn't Khushi give it a thought? I have gone along with slightly impulsive nature Khushi has from the show itself. And before the act, they both had rules, boundaries and safe words. That was the line they both drew together. I give to her that she didn't actually know what it all entailed. And that's okay because life is about experimenting, drawing conclusion and working on it better.

If she had said she wasn't particularly fond of the act, it would have been okay. If she said she was uncomfortable through out it because of the scenario they played, is still okay. But that isn't the case. The act isn't the problem. What she feels about the entire arrangement is where her problem arises from. What she is asking is - "is it wrong what i am doing?". She never said she didn't enjoy it. Its a different issue what Arnav derives out of it and that's his problem. The issue Khushi faces is much primal and fundamental than trust or love or marriage or relationship or whatever they are doing.

She is questioning the morality of the act. (Check out some of my replies on previous pages. Shameless promoting comments from other readers and mine own. 😊)

Originally posted by: Mirabell

Consent is irrelevant without information, ergo - informed consent. Did Khushi consent? Yes. Was she informed? Yes. As best as she could, aided by Arnav. It is natural to consent with information in the beginning and have reservations later on. Because I believe comprehension is at its best when it is followed by experience and followed by introspective reflection. Why should I be surprised that Khushi was dismayed when she saw those red welts on Arnav's wrists? How can she contend with the 'pain' she inflicted on him in the name of pleasure? [I am not sure if SHE derived pleasure.. I do know from the story that HE did. However, this may be irrelevant here.] To me, her reaction is consistent with all that she has said and done thus far.. an adventurous spirit but within the confines of what she has always known. Subjacence is new to her.. Now she is roiled in her own clutches of prejudice' - that cloak of morality sweeping on her after the fact. So, informed consent is not a static check mark on a questionnaire, but an ongoing dialog with all things "moral." She has to struggle with her own sense of flaws which came with the so-called "power" in his subjacence..

So what happens with Arnav? Yes, "he is angered at his own subtle dominance over her even when he was plaintively asking her to take reins".. But then, he did express his need in no uncertain terms - "I need you to be there with me and for me. I need, no, I want you to be that person who will do all those things to me and for me." He has had the luxury of "sitting with this" as Buddhists say.. with his flaws, needs, prejudices.. But she hasn't. Is he wise enough to give her the time and space to truly comprehend her consent? Will he be able to support her percolation of moral crystals alongside free acts of desire, sensuality and sex? That would be the adult thing to do.. :)

So what' you ask? Well... this is a marriage, a relationship that is in process. Change is the inevitable constant here.. What do you have in mind for us dear author? Cannot wait for the next chapter..

Consent - I will be writing a bit about it next chapter. Informed consent...dubious consent 😆

Imagine how much Arnav has introspected to arrive at his monologue? Khushi needs something same. Rest, you pretty much nailed it :=)

Originally posted by: RockBarbie

Thank you.

Its not strange we don't talk about it because of the conservative bias and hypocrisy we surround ourselves with. Its a culture where child marriage was accepted for a very long time and it still is at places.

In this case, is trusting your partner enough? :-)

RB ... am being selfish here by just sitting back and enjoying reading all the comments ...

Originally posted by: manreet_gill

See, I live in England. I have done my entire life. I work in marketing so in equal measures I appreciate and hate the value that sex sells. I have been silent witness to conversations of sex. Yes. But nothing ever this deep, or of this ilk. 50 shades pandemonium included never opened my acquaintances to this speech. I am in contact with India and 'my roots' so to speak but I believe that an element of me romanticises what India is all about with a western tourist eye. Actually sexualism and sexual exploitation is quite a prominent but deeply hidden part of Indian society [this knowledge is based on the multiple gang rape cases amongst others highlighting sex scandals in India. Apologies if my knowledge is misplaced] therefore it is with this assumption of mine that I can understand what Khushi is saying; how can pain give pleasure? But my own confusion rules as to how the topic of sex isn't discussed more freely [including its various shades] given the degree of exposure one witnesses. As I mentioned this is about trust between two partners to at least discuss the news openly let alone sexual exploration... No?

Let me ask you something.

Khushi finds it surprising that there can be pleasure in pain. Isn't her swallowing down all the rubbish he threw at her (during the show) with dewy eyes and some sentimental dialogue a kind of masochism? On TV this is obvious: the woman is hurt emotionally by the male and she doesn't do anything about it because she is this eternal sweet person who doesn't do confrontation. In a culture where women are asked to grin and bear the atrocities thrown at her - isn't that some kind of S&M in itself? Women have been conditioned to take a subservient role compared to men or even some women. Somehow when it comes to only this, there is innocence and ignorance and societal taboo.

I iterate: Yes, she has no exposure. Yes, it is alright. I think she does get what Arnav is doing. It isn't even about questioning the reasons behind their agreement. But is it right to want it?

Originally posted by: RockBarbie

Consent - I will be writing a bit about it next chapter. Informed consent...dubious consent 😆

Imagine how much Arnav has introspected to arrive at his monologue? Khushi needs something same. Rest, you pretty much nailed it :=)

Originally posted by: Kishmish

RB ... am being selfish here by just sitting back and enjoying reading all the comments ...

This chapter was really really thought provoking ...

I feel here that everything is so new for Khushi ...

coming from an orthodox environment where it is sinful even to utter the word 'Sex' ...

In India girls get married and are introduced to sex by their husbands who is supposed

to be a master in the act ... the whole thing is very exciting and new for them ...

In fact it is the husband who initiates and leads his wife to the pleasures involved in

the act ... mostly being dominant and the wife as a submissive ... but there are men

who prefer a role reversal and enjoy their wives pleasing them ... without any thought

towards the morality of the act coming in ...

Here I think Khushi at the onset was really fascinated that SHE had the powers to give

her husband immense pleasure but when she saw that along with it she may have given

him so much pain by marking him with her dupatta upset her so much that she starting

questioning the morality of their actions ... whether it was the right thing to do ...

In the whole sexual act there is nothing really right or wrong ... I feel it is the level of

comfort between the husband and wife and their preferences ...

Arnav needs to tread on unknown territory (known to him but unknown to her ) with

Khushi slowly so that she does not get shocked or scandalised ... as there is no-one but

him who can tutor her or give her complete knowledge about what actually happens

behind closed doors ... 😉 😳

Thank you RB ...

The dupatta didn't do anything, paapam. It has been on her mind even before that as mentioned in the update. "She spaces out more than once."

Khushi here isn't all that innocent. :-) She takes charge after his confession and she seems to do okay with him. Its an internal struggle that she has to take care of it on her own. What can Arnav do for things she thinks? :-)

Originally posted by: Mirabell

Oh! dubious consent? Are we venturing into "free will" here? :)

I was just talking about this with Twiggy: This was supposed to be a cheeky SS where I toe the line a little and back away after 5 updates. Now its turning into some complex monster :-)

If I go into dub con, then I will be entering a black hole without a rope to climb back. I want to end this story in 2 or at the max 3 updates as I intended earlier. Will take a step back and see how I can finish it 😆