Hey guys, I'm back with another OS. This can be considered a continuation of my previous OS "One Step Closer" for those of you who read it. But if you haven't or dont' want to read it, fikar not - I ave written this OS in a way that you don't need to read the previous shot to understand what's going on đNevertheless, if your curiosity peaks and you do end up wanting the link, here it is:
Arshi OS: Solace In your Arms
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âOmw to board the jet. See you in about 10 hours :) â
To say khushiâs stomach did a funny somersault reading the text would be an understatement. Her heart practically slammed against the ribcage as she read the same text over and over again for the 8th time with a silly grin spread across her lips before holding the phone to her chest as if it held her life in it. In a way, it truly did, all she needed to do was admit it. The wait was finally over! It had only been 7 days since Arnav was gone to London and yet, it felt like years to her.
Looking back down at her phone, her fingers rushed to send up a quick reply - all the while making sure it doesnât give away too much of her excitement or how much she missed him, â
âItâs 3 in the morning, why are you awake??â, khushiâs phone vibrated with an oncoming text within a few seconds of sending her reply.
And there goes her typical overprotective husband with his inquiries, khushi rolled her eyes.
My husband is coming back after 7 days, so please excuse me if I canât stay calm for one night. Khushi wanted to scream in his ears. But she held herself back. Wiping her runny red nose for the nth time with the napkin, she sighed in exasperation for feeling sick at such a crucial time.
âHad to empty my bladder. Should I elaborate more?
She lied.
She didnât anticipate her heart to be in such a dangerous territory until she spent the past seven days sleeping in that cold empty bed, tossing and turning until the break of dawn before exhaustion would finally catch up to her and she would drift into slumber for not more than 2 hours before the shrill ringtone of her alarm brutally wake her up every day.
On the third day it had become so unbearable that she had stomped towards their closet at 2 in the morning, opened Arnav's side of the cupboard, took out his Harvard hoodie before shoving it down her head. She couldnât believe the strong, independent khushi would do something as silly as wearing her husbandâs clothes just so she would stop missing him. She blamed her stupid heart which stopped listening to her ever since Arnav left that night. She absolutely loathed the past seven days and wanted to wipe out from her memory at the first chance she got. If Payal or Lavanya gets to know about the stunt she pulled, or the fact that she struggled to fall asleep at night without her Arnavji, they would make her life miserable by roasting the shit out of her till the day she dies. Or maybe even after that, khushi had chuckled as she shook her head in half exasperation and insanity. But she would never share this part of the information with anyone. Not with her mom, her sister, or her best friend. And definitely not with Arnav. She despised coming off as weak and emotional. It never catered to anything good. She had broken down in front of her husband once on the day of his flight but never again.
Exchanging texts was a daily routine in their busy schedule, more so in the past seven days. Since phone calls and video chats were not always the best option considering the time difference, and Arnavâs meetings, parties and khushiâs classes, they opted for text messaging. However, they made sure they called each other every night (IST). while during the calls, it did feel like Arnav was sitting right beside her, his rough fingers brushing the loose tendrils away from her face as she continued to talk, the warmth would vanish the moment they would hang up, and the void would come back to make a permanent place in her being until he called again the next day.
âMy landing is at 1:40 pm. You are gonna be at college right? I will come pick you up straight from the airportâ
Khushiâs heart skipped a beat as she read the text. Warmth spread through her heart just at the knowledge that he was just as eager to see her. Heck, how did he know her schedule?! She slapped her head at the silly thought. of course he would know. Is there anything about her her he doesn't know ? One look at her face and he would know if something would be bothering her. And this is just a schedule. She remembered how he asked her to send a pic of her schedule the night before her first day back in college after marriage.
She bit her nails trying to come up with something feasible. She couldnât tell him that she was planning on receiving him at the airport. She wanted put him on the spot. She wanted to see the complete shock on his face and then the handsome smirk that would follow before turning into a full grin. Oh the way his right cheek makes an adorable dip in the form of a dimple - what wouldnât she do to see that everyday!
âUhh Imma be at Lavanyaâs after college tomorrow for a project. So Iâll see you home?â
Khushi felt a pang in the heart the moment she saw the blue tick, indicating that he had seen her message. She noticed how he began to type and then stopped for a moment before starting to type again. It stopped again.
Khushi continued to bite her lips as a queasy feeling settled in her stomach. He was looking forward to see her asap and here, she couldnât even show the least bit of excitement.
She was about to type when a new message popped up, âAh no worries. Happy studying! About to take off so gonna turn off the phone. See ya!â
Khushiâs face dimmed as she put her phone away. She hated to lie to him. Especially when it made things worse between them.
Khushi sniffed arnavâs hoodie and put it on before taking his side of the bed and snuggling to his pillow.
10 more hoursâŚ
~~~
Arnavâs feet took powerful strides, his jacket hanging off his left arm as Aman struggled to keep up with his bossâs pace along with the carry-on he was carrying. Only he knew how he passed the last seven days. Not having khushi beside him as he slept was a f*cking nightmare. Not in the literal sense but it was no less than a bad dream for 7 consecutive days. How had he gotten so used to this woman? Their marriage had only been 8 months. Yes, It only takes 21 days to form a habit but khushi was not a mere habit, in the past few days of being away from her, he realized she was much more than that. What, he was yet to figure out.
He hadnât ever felt such satisfaction coming back to his homeland and patriotism had nothing to do with it. He just couldnât wait see her angelic face, her soft sighs every time he took her in his arms, her bubbling laughter that used to ring in his ears like a melody even when she was away from him, her cheeks that would turn crimson everytime he would say something overboard about her appearance. He sounded like a f*cking teenager. Really, what was wrong with him?! Arnav brushed his fingers over his mouth to stop the grin that threatened to spread across his lips at the over imaginative silly thoughts. Aman would probably collapse right there if he bothered to glance at his boss at the moment.
Arnavâs steps slowed down as his gaze fell upon the pale figure in a skinny jeans and white top at the arrival gate. He blinked a few times, His head slightly leaned, and brows knitted in self-doubt owing to the earlier episodes of finding her everywhere and in everything back in London. Khushiâs searching eyes were yet to find him. His steps came to a complete halt as he tried to imprint the picture after him. No one in the last 8 years of his lonely business trips had ever come to the airport to receive him. No one! His mother was always too busy with kitty parties, dad with their family business. He never complained. As a matter of fact, when given the chance to be picked up, he refused because he had started liking his solitude and he didnât want to get used to something that was temporary. Today, seeing khushi waiting just for him, her huge doe eyes in anticipation of his arrival, her fingers playing with the strap of her Gucci purse - a sign of frisson, an unknown warmth spread through his heart and suddenly he felt alive. The 9 hour flightâs exhaustion started ebbing away as he imprinted the picture in front of him.
After what felt like eternity, his lips took her name in a whisper, âKhushiâŚâ
It was so low that his own ears would be deceived had he not been confident that he indeed took her name. What surprised him was that the moment her name escaped his lips, her hazel eyes clashed with his, as if she had heard him call her out in the crowd.
Arnav found her stare at him longer than he had expected her to, her eyes searching his chocolate orbs even in the long distance that separated them. And then he saw her lips move...he could hear nothing in the crowd but he bet on his life that he heard her broken voice utter the softest of âArnavjiâŚâ
It was an epiphany of sortsâŚ
âA little privacy, amanâ , arnavâs voice reached aman, yet his eyes remained glued to her face.
âYes sir, I will be in the car.â, said aman hiding a knowing smile, before rushing out of the area.
Arnav didnât move. He just couldnât. His feet felt glued to the ground when all he wanted to do was run to her and haul her up in his arms. Instead he found himself open his arms, his jacket still hanging off his left one with the most beautiful smile on his face. Khushi took baby steps towards him, not breaking their eyelock, her lips not being able to reflect the smile she saw in her husbandâs face. Instead her eyes started filling up for reasons only her Devi Maiya knew. 3 steps in, and her steps turned into a jog before she practically launched herself towards him, covering the distance between them within seconds before slamming her face to his chest as her arms circled his waist in a tight grip.
âArnavjiâŚ!â
The complete stretch of the the moment she had started running towards him till her cheek crushed into his chest, his smile turned into the widest grin he had ever given to anyone in the 29 years of his life, his arms encircled her petite form in a protective cocoon before hoisting her off the ground and twirling her.
Her bubbling laughter rang in his ears like a melody and he sniffed her neck to inhale the vanilla-berry scent that defined his Khushi. Oh how he missed herâŚ.
Khushi clutched his lapes and buried her face into his neck - the musky scent of wood and something very distinct that only Arnav wore. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The aromatic odour mixed with his aftershave from his jaws started filling his lungs and she snuggled herself more into him. Oh how she missed himâŚ
She felt him slowly lower her back on the ground before pulling her back to have a look at her, only that she wouldnât let him. She tightened her hold around his waist and buried her face deep in his chest.
âLet me see you, loveâ, arnav whispered into her ear, brushing through her black luscious hair that cascaded down her back.
âLater!â, she said after shaking her head, making him chuckle.
âAapne mujhse jhoot kaha!â
A tender smile formed in her lips. She always ends up turning a puddle of emotion every time Arnav addresses her with an âaapâ despite him being 7 years older than her. She almost laughed imagining her momâs reaction if she ever finds out about this. To her mother, wives should always treat husbands with respect (i.e. never address them with a âtumâ) and never take their name disrespectfully. And so despite arnavâs instance that she should call him by his name, she had opted for the âjiâ at the end, much to his annoyance, although in a few days he had began to love hearing âarnavjiâ from her.
âIn my defense, I did go to Lavanyaâs, but in the morning.â, murmured khushi into his chest.
âSmart! And what about your afternoon lecture?", inquired arnav.
âI bunked!â
Arnavâs eyes widened and this time he slowly pulled her back to have a look at his face, âyou shouldnât ha-âŚ..what the f*ck?â
His words got stuck in his throat as his jaw left hanging the moment he had a clear view of his face. There were black pouches under her eyes, so prominent, she looked utterly exhausted, overly pale and she seemed to have lost a couple of pounds from the last time he saw her. This was not how he had left her. What the heck happened?!
âWhat the fu⌠heck did you do to yourself?! Are you alright?!â, arnavâs voice boomed as his arms held her tighter than before around her waist while his other hand went to touch her in the neck, cheek and forehead.
âWhat the bloody f*ck khushi?!â
To Khushiâs bad luck and Arnavâs absolute rage, she was burning up.
âyouâre bur-â
âYes I know, I was running a temperature in the morning. No need to overreact. I popped two advils before comingâ, said Khushi reassuringly, only to receive a long death glare.
âCare to enlighten me then why you are here in the airport and not home tucked under the damn blanket?â, asked arnav while grinding his teeth
Khushi was beginning to realize this whole thing was a bad idea. She had never seen him so furious. Well she had with his employees but never with her. She gulped as she further explained, âI wanted to surprise you. I was-â
âJust shut up before I lose my mind khushi....â
With that he dragged her out of the airport where Aman was waiting with the car.
Carefully placing khushi in the backseat before getting in from the other side, he took his phone out of his pocket before dialing a number, âDoctor Sinha, hi, arnav singh raizada here. Please be at Raizada mansion within the next 30 mins. Itâs a little urgent.â
~~~~
Khushi was bunched up in their bed the a blanket around her body as she saw Arnav enter the room with a bowl of chicken soup. She still didnât understand what the fuss was about. She was running at a mere temperature. So what?! Everyone does once in a while, big deal! He was acting like she was dying. She glared at the blanket that was wrapped around her as though it had personally offended her. All she did was shiver a little in the car, and this man took off his freaking blazer and put it on her, oh and not to forget turn the ac of in this scorching heat and opened the window followed by taking out a winter blanket and enwrapped her in the wooly material. Who does he think of himself?! And what was the point of calling in their family doctor for some mere fever was beyond her! Even the doctor was probably laughing behind their back at her husbandâs ridiculousness.
He sat with his one leg tucked in while the other hung down the bed. Blowing at the piping hot spoonful of soup, he held it to her mouth, patiently waiting for her to open up only to have her move her head the other way. He tried once more, same result.
He clenched his jaw before saying in a low warning tone , âyou donât want to test my patience, khushiâ
âOr what?â, asked khushi, chin up
Arnav closed his eyes before holding her face and feeding the soup.
OnceâŚ
TwiceâŚ
ThriceâŚ.
âYou canât boss me around like this!â
âTry me!â, arnav said in a challenging voice while his eyes shot dagger at her.
It was not lost on Arnav as he kept feeding her that he was being an ass. He knew he might have gone overboard. Afterall, it was just a fever. And it wasnât unreasonable for her to want to surprise him at the airport. He would have probably done the same if khushi had gone on a trip too. But could anyone really blame him for the overprotective instincts that kicks off for this woman he calls his wife? In the past seven days away from her, there were multiple episodes when he had found himself overly worried about her for absolutely no reason. His mind would grasp the most illogical incident his mind could brew up and worry himself over it until he would call her up and hear her voice. It had gone to the extent that he had forbidden her to enter the kitchen to make her evening maggi noodles, practically pleading with her that HP or JP would make it just like she likes- all she needed to give was proper instructions. He had prohibited any public transportation for her that she occasionally takes with lavanya when they have to go for their favorite golgappa stall - her reason being that cars are a hassle in such a narrow block and unnecessarily causes traffic. For the life of him, He just could not trust her on her own. He still doesnât know how and when this protective side was harbored but all he knew was that for his sanity and if he wanted to crack the deal back in London with a clear head,, he had to make these restrictions for her. This woman made him feel and do things that heâd never felt nor done in his life. F*ck!
~~~
By the time he got back to the room after giving up all the instructions about next dayâs meals for khushi, she was lying down at the edge of her bed, eyes closed. He knew she wasnât asleep.
He changed into his night track pants and t-shirt before turning the light off and slipping into the duvet. Arnav stared at the ceiling, exhaustion finally catching up to him. The entire day began to play infront of his eyes. His sour mood from the long flight, more so from khushiâs nonchalant texts where he was pouring out his excitement while she gave him a dry âsafe flightâ before announcing that she will go to lavanyaâs, refusing him to come to her college in the process; and then all his anger fading away the moment he laid his eyes upon his khushi, waiting anxiously for his arrival, his mind adding the two and two together that she had planned it all this while to surprise him at the airport. Heck, she even bunked her lecture for him today. And what did he do? Burst her bubble ruthlessly by practically erupting on her.
His trail of thought were interrupted as he felt the slight shaking of the bed. He frowned as he looked around to figure out if he was imagining. He heard the sound of sniffing from the side. Alarmed, he sat up with a jerk before turning on the side lamp.
Khushiâs face was covered with the duvet but her whole figure was shaking. In a swift motion, he slid the duvet off her body only to stare at her horrifyingly.
âKhushi?!â, his tone was nothing short of shock
He made her sit up before pulling her into a fierce embrace. He felt like a jerk. She tried to resist only for him to hold her tighter.
When he felt her stop protesting, he gently stroked her back as she uttered in a broken voice, âI hate you!â
âIâm sorry, loveâ, his voice tender.
âYou never talked to me like this before.â, khushi complained as tears spilled down her cheeks, her face still against his chest
His heart clenched painfully at her accusation. He needed to make some amendments before things got out of control. He sighed before pulling back and cupping her cheeks, âI want you to hear me first with an open mind. Can you please do that for me?", he asked, his voice almost a plea.
Khushi stared into his eyes silently, her doe orbs anxious of what her husband going to say.
"Before you , khushi, work was my only way to start and end the day with. I had no one to come back to. Yes I have dadi, mom and dad. But I want you to know that it is not the same as having someone only to myself who I would be sharing my joys with, and sure as hell not the same to share the burden with. Ever since you stepped into my life, I feel like I have someone to wake up to, go to sleep with, and come back to after a hectic day at AR. This heartless mansion feels bloody home to me now. I know I sound like one of your heroes straight out of a bollywood film but it is f*cking true. And i donât know what to do about it. So today when I found you like that at the airport, I completely lost it. My worst nightmares started coming true. I admit I might have gone a little overboard but you need to understand where my fear harbored from.- â
In their 8 months of marriage, she had never found arnav so vocal about anything, or in such desperate need to explain something. Her heart slammed against her ribcage at his indirect confession of her place in his heart and an unknown warmth spread through her being. She knew where all this was heading and her cheeks began to burn at once, all the way hoping he doesnât notice the change of color in this dim light.
âOkay.â, said khushi, all of a sudden feeling very content.
Arnav stared at her dumbfounded, not understanding where such consideration come from when she was practically weeping her eyes out a few minutes ago.
âOkay what?â
âYou explained and I...umm...understood.â, replied khushi, fiddling with the buttons of his t shirt
âYou what?â, arnav asked again, his question sounded dumb to his own ears. But could he be blamed. As far as he knew khushi, she was relentless. Everytime they had silly arguments, it had always been arnav who had given in. so today, when it was actually his fault and she let him off the hook so easily, it came as a blow him.
âItâs very late arnavji and iâm exhausted. Can we sleep now?â, she said, still not meeting his eyes.
He watched her as she went back to her initial position, at the edge of their bed, the blanket over her head. He stared at her blankly for a moment longer before shaking his head and turning off the lamp on his side.
He pulled the duvet over himself before putting his arms around her waist and with one single pull, her back crashed against his chest.
Khushi gasped loudly. In the 8 months of their marriage, they had never slept so close in bed, at most they would hold each otherâs hand, that too in the middle of their sleep. Today though, arnav had practically entangled her limbs with her while both of them were wide awake.
She started squirming, trying to free herself from his grasp only to hear his predatory voice, âtry all you want, but youâre gonna end up here again. I would say, donât waste your energyâ
âBut...but...I...we...we need to sl...sleepâŚâ
Arnav smiled in the dark room as his wife tried justifying why they needed to sleep in their own sides. Her innocence was the the most sexy thing he found about this woman. Only if she knewâŚ
âWho said we canât sleep like this?â, arnav asked innocently.
âI think we -â
âStop thinking.â
â ArnavjiiiiâŚ.â
âWhat?â
âI really think we should sleep on our own sidesâ
âYeah? Fair enough. Give me one valid reason why we should be maintaining 2 meters sleeping distance despite being husband and wife and i will let you go.â
Laughter almost threatened to rumble through his chest as he imagined khushi biting her nails trying to come up with something feasible.
âCat got your tongue?â
âI...uh...n-no. I canât think rationally with the position i...i am currently inâ, khushi finished her sentence with great difficulty.
This time arnav didnât held back as he laughed. And laugh, he did.
After a few moments, his hand went up her arms and touched her forehead and cheeks, checking her temperature.
âIâm okay Arnavji. Stop worrying.â, murmured khushi
Turning her around, he brushed the loose tendrils away from her face before pressing his lips on her forehead and placing her head on his chest
âGood night, sweetheart!â, he whispered in her ears
Smiling , khushi snuggled into him before drifting into sleep.
Her limbs entangled between her husband's, her petite form held in a protective cocoon while she heard the rhythmic beating of her husband's heart, Khushi Singh Raizada finally found her lost sleep after seven days that night.
So did Arnav!
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Please do let me know in the comment section how you found this OS if you do end up reading till the end. and please don't forget to press the like button if it ended up making you smile.
Love & hugs,
Mushfika
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