ArHi OS: Once Upon A New Year's Eve

Writing is addictive. Doesn't mean, there are ideas in the head(at least, I don't. I have brief flashes of ideas between prolonged periods of writers' block). There is just an itch to write. I had been feeling that since 2 weeks. And, then, I watched IPK's New Year's Eve episode yesterday night & inspiration struck. Sort of.
Disclaimer: This is set in a Raizada Mansion where the inhabitants have finally understood & accepted the concept of privacy & do not barge into rooms, but only knock and then enter(unless it is their own room, obviously-I am suddenly Captain Obvious, I know. *smh at self).
So, here is something from me on New Year's Eve. Wish you all a very Happy New Year. May 2016 be awesome for you & your loved ones.

Do let me know your thoughts if you have time. Ignore typos if small. Bring them to my notice if big.

OS: Once Upon A New Year's Eve

Arnav Singh Raizada rushed upstairs to the room he shared with his wife before any of his family members could spot him. He had an angry wife to pacify. His family could be dealt with later. He came to a stop in front of the closed doors & hoped that his wife had stayed true to her habit of not locking them when alone. He pushed at the door & fortunately for him, it was unlocked & it opened.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Arnav entered the room & locked the doors behind him. He took in the sight in front of him for a moment before throwing his jacket & waistcoat on the recliner and sliding under the covers. He reached out & pulled the sleeping woman into his arms, locking her there, with one still booted leg thrown across her legs, his arms winding around her torso, his face in the crook of her neck. He was home. Finally.

Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada stirred awake. She blinked for a minute unable to understand what had disturbed her sleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She was drifting off to sleep once again when it came to her. That was exactly why she had woken up. Nothing was out of the ordinary, which was strange considering her husband was out of the country. The embrace she found herself in said something else, though.

"Arnav" she said, only to have his hold tighten a little & his mouth open against her neck in a big, wet kiss in response. She sighed. He was back home early...or late, depending on how one chose to see it, her mind pointed out.

Khushi was on her side, facing away from him. He lifted his head from the crook of her neck & nuzzled the side of her face as he kissed her ear. "Happy New Year." he whispered in her ear.

Khushi frowned. "You're home. You were supposed to return in the evening." she said, not looking at him.

"Well, I skipped the post-meeting New Year's Eve party & took the earliest flight out of there. Had to make it here by 12." he said then.

Khushi pulled her hand free of his hold & checked her phone lying on the bedside table before holding it up for him.

"You're exactly 5hrs and 15mins late." she said, pointedly before replacing the phone on the bedside table.

"Khushi" he said, in a conciliatory manner.

"Look, just forget it. You don't care for the occasion. Never mind. I will get over it in a day or two." she said, shutting her eyes, completely irritated with her husband.

Arnav raked his fingers through his hair, tiredly. It was his fault. Khushi had been feeling particularly melancholic about his absence on New Year's that year since they hadn't spent any of the previous ones apart since their meeting. He had been in one of his moods during that call, thanks to a difficult client & had brushed her off saying the whole thing was a nuisance that they shouldn't be bothered with anyway. Khushi had told him to screw himself & cut the call. That had been the day before. They had only communicated through short messages since then. And, he had felt like hell. He had been missing her terribly. And, he had gone ahead & pissed her off, to top it off. He sighed as he propped his head on an elbow.

"I am sorry. You know I am. Come on, Khushi. Show me your face. We'll have that tradition done with. And, then, I'll make it up to you." he said, as his hand ran soothingly against her arm.

Khushi snorted. "You don't even believe in that tradition. You put up with it for my sake." she said.

"Well, you believe in it." he said.

"Yes. And, I already saw someone's face at 12. You're late." she said, nonchalantly.

"What the!" he said, scowling. "Who was it?" he asked, next.

"Someone at the party. Who cares about the details! It is done." she said, smiling to herself at his reaction. He didn't believe, sure. But he most definitely did care.

"You just saw some random person's face at the party at 12? You, who attaches such importance to whose face you see at 12 on New Year's! This is shi-" he stopped abruptly when he remembered seeing no dress on the recliner. That's where her party dresses went once she was out of them for Khushi was usually too restless to get to them anytime before the next day. Realisation dawned.

"What?" she asked, wondering why he had stopped so abruptly.

He looked down at the woman in his arms. Her face was still stubbornly turned away. But a rush of affection & guilt flooded his heart.

"You skipped the party." he said. It was not a question.

Khushi sighed. Of course, he would guess that right. He always figured out stuff about her too quickly. And, what was she to tell him, now, she wondered.

"I didn't feel like it. Without you around, it is difficult to escape a party when it gets boring." she said, simply. It was the truth anyway.

Arnav kissed her head. "How long have you been up here, refusing to see people?" he asked, knowingly.

"I did no such thing." said Khushi, indignantly.

"Khushi." came his voice. Just her name. God, she was putty in his hands. The only good thing about it was that he was unaware of it. Or, so she thought.

"Since 11.30 last night." she confessed in a small voice.

Arnav couldn't help himself. He let out a small chuckle. "Were you planning to stay cooped up in here until I came home this evening?" he asked, amused.

Pat, came the reply. "No. Of course not. I just didn't want to see anyone's face at 12. Unlike you, I actually care about it. You probably saw one of your clients' face." she grumbled.

He smiled. Some personal traditions which were theirs, still mattered to her. And, what mattered to her inevitably mattered to him. Yes, he was sappy where she was concerned. Sue him.

"Actually, that's thing. I haven't seen anyone's face at 12 yet. I am planning to see yours, in another-" he glanced at his watch before continuing-" two minutes." he said.

"What?" she asked, not following.

"It's 2 minutes to 12 in the UK, right now, Khushi. Thought, I could make it here by that time, see your face while you give me the stink-eye for being an ass yesterday." he said, smiling.

"What!" she exclaimed, pulling his wrist closer to look at the watch. He hadn't changed the time zones still. It was a minute to 12.

"So?" he asked, prompting her to say something, to respond.

"You have got to turn around because if you don't, we are going to miss this one, too." he said.

Khushi stared at his watch for a moment. Her husband drove her mad. And, then, he went ahead & did something utterly sweet that left her defenceless. She was caught between wanting to stay angry & giving in to his endearing efforts. As if that was even a choice. She sighed as she turned in his arms to face him & received one of those rare full smiles from him. She couldn't help but smile back.

"You're wearing shoes to bed." she said, as she felt them against her feet.

She was beginning to frown, he saw & laughed. The alarm set for 12 on his watch rang. He closed the distance between them & kissed her frown away.

"Happy New Year" he said against her mouth.

She sighed, winding her arms around his neck & pulling him closer, forgetting all about his shoes. They kissed until oxygen became a necessity & Arnav's hand had wandered high enough under her t-shirt. They pulled away, then.

"Happy New Year." she said, smiling at him. And, he went back for a taste of that smile because he knew his hurried, hectic journey back home had all been worth it. It had put that smile back on her face, & it dazzled his world like it always did.

"Nice save." Khushi said, smiling at him, a little later when they had finally stopped kissing.

"It was, wasn't it!" he said, smirking.

"Stop smirking." she said & giggled a little as his hand made contact with a particularly ticklish spot on her back. She looked at his face, saw the challenging look in his eyes & knew it was deliberate. She went ahead & bit his jaw in punishment, making him groan. The groan was not all in pain.

"Laad governor." she said, smiling unapologetically.

"You're wearing my shirt." he said, having just noticed it. And, his smile widened as another discovery was made. "And, no pajamas. I like it." he said, as he ran his hand along the length of her bare leg which had been thrown across his now.

Khushi raised an eyebrow at that. "Uhuh? You are yet to make it up to me for yesterday, Raizada." she said.

"Hmmm. Maybe, a New Year's gift, then?" he asked.

She looked contemplative for a moment. "That's a start." she said.

"Ok. What do you want for this new year?" he asked, looking at her intently, amusement & adoration shining in his eyes.

Khushi's eyes lit up with that twinkle he had come to recognise & adore. She wound his loosened tie around her hand & pulled him closer. A sassy smile broke on her face.

"You" she said before sealing her husband's mouth with her own & earning a groan of approval from him.

She pushed him onto his back & he pulled her on top of him.

"Get rid of this shirt." he said as he kissed her jaw, trying to pull off her shirt, himself.

"Right back at you." she said, her breathing slightly heavy, working the buttons of his shirt.

And, then, they heard a "Chotey's home?" in Anjali's voice, disturbingly close to the door.

Khushi looked at Arnav in horror. "Please tell me you locked the door." she said.

Arnav laughed. She whacked his chest. And, Anjali's voice drifted away as they heard HP requesting her to help in the kitchen with the menu & telling her about Arnav bhaiyya being jet lagged.

"I instructed HP to keep people away from our room for the next two hours." Arnav said, smugly.

Khushi made a face. "Ew. How the hell am I supposed to look at his face when he knows what we have done!" she exclaimed.

Arnav doubled up in laughter, pulled her close & hid his face in her hair.

"It's not funny, Arnav." she whined.

He finally composed himself. She lifted her head to scowl at him. He pushed the hair off that dear face. God, she was lovely, he thought.

Residual laughter still glinting in his eyes, he explained, "I told him I was jet lagged & needed to sleep. You can show him your face. Don't start avoiding the Prakashs or you won't get a thing done. Ok?" he said, trying not to laugh again.

"You could've told this earlier!" she exclaimed.

"Well, your mind is in the gutter. How was I to know!" he said, smiling at her indignation.

"Now, shut up & kiss me." he said before she could argue.

She scowled at him.

"You know you want to punish me. Get creative." he said, suggestively.

She couldn't hold back a smile, then. "Oh, you'll pay. I'll make you pay." she said & moved against him making him groan.

"F***. It's going to be a hell of a year, if today's anything to go by." he said, as she finally divested herself of her t shirt & stretched against the length of him.

"With me, there isn't any other kind of year for you, Arnav Singh Raizada." she said & rocked his world. He had to agree with her.