Here you go, three days before schedule 😃
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SANDHYA! This one is for you 😊
Banner Credit: Vee
Chapter 17
Her hands crept inside his T-shirt and she dug her nails into the rippling muscles of his back - lightly, before her fingers traced their way down to his waist, savouring the feel of his skin, holding him tighter in her embrace. His breath fanned the skin on her neck and shoulder and she smiled when she felt him pulling down the strap of her bra with his teeth, his hands unwilling to let go of the raven mass of her hair, soft as silk yet capable of rendering him powerless under their spell.
"Arnaaav" her voice a throaty whisper when his palms found the bare skin of her breasts. The feeling was as familiar as the musky smell of her beloved, but never failed to send a delightful tingle down her spine. Her nipples hardened into buds and in a second his mouth was on them, nipping, sucking, tugging... and she could take it no more. In one forceful move she tugged at his T-shirt, forcing him to move back a bit, albeit grudgingly, to take it off and let it join pile of clothes that lay scattered around the room.
Threading her fingers through his hair, she pulled him down for a kiss - a quick one, before her lips left his and moved on to tease the pulse at the base of his neck. Her fingers grazed the skin at the nape of his neck lightly, a move she knew made him lose control. With a grunt he lifted her off the ground brusquely and carried her over to the bed as she wound her legs round his waist. She felt the urgency in his movements as he lowered her on the bed none so gently, when they heard the phone ring on the side table next to them.
"f**king hell" he swore and was about to throw the phone away, but Khushi stopped him with a soft "Ignore it" and held his hand. Holding his palm, she brought it down to place it on the waistband of her jeans. She beckoned him with her eyes and he felt himself harden painfully. Swooping down to claim her lips in a kiss, he almost missed it when the phone rang again.
"Let me just turn off the damn phone?" said an awfully irritated Khushi when the phone rang the third time. Arnav moved aside to allow her to reach the phone.
"Oh.. shit I'll have to take this call, Arnav. It's Karthik. I had sent him a draft copy of my manuscript few days back." she said in a hurry. With a frustrated sigh he gestured her to go ahead and take the call.
"I've been good, thanks."..."Yes, I do plan to work on it."..."An editor?"..."Would I need one at this point?"..."Yes, certainly.".."Yes, I'll come down to Pune."..."Sure."...
She pushed away his hand that rested on the small of her back, his fingers making lazy patterns on her flushed skin. He groaned as he moved back, fisting his palms in annoyance.
They had hardly seen each other in the past week, and she was to leave for her field trip the next day. To her credit, she had tried to make plans during the week whenever she had some time off, but somehow their schedules never matched. And so she had proposed they spend the evening together at the farmhouse, and he could drop her to the airport the next morning. He had jumped at the idea immediately; he had missed her all week and she was going to be away the next.
He wondered why his heart was being such a child, so impudent. But he was aware he already had the answers... he wasn't used to Khushi being unavailable for him. She had been generous to him, not only with her love and affection, but also with respect and time. He had to just think about her and she would be there, bringing a smile to his face, just like that. And he had been demanding, he knew that. He had always found peace and contentment in being with her, solace and comfort in her presence around him, for him.
And now, her life had become about things beyond just college and her love for him. She was a woman who was inspired, he had known it was only a matter of time before she found what gave her the joy, the high in doing something that mattered, and something she enjoyed. Life had caught up with her, and he was no more the sun of her universe. He didn't resent her for it; such was life afterall. If anything, the woman she had become made him burst with pride. Yet, he felt the pang one feels in letting go of a time in life when one is truly content with all that is.
He saw her speak over the phone in her usual, animated manner, as if the person was right in front of her. There was a spark in her eyes and her gait was sprightly. He turned away from her trying to dissipate the restlessness in his body. Why couldn't the call have come 20 minutes later? 20... no, maybe thirty? Forty would be better? "Urrgh" he groaned. The pig could have just called an hour back when she was on her way to the farmhouse.
So lost was he mentally cursing a man he had never even met, he didn't notice Khushi come and lie down beside him. He closed his eyes when he felt her against him, his back to her front, her hands around his waist, her breath fanning his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Arnav. I had to take that one. But I've switched of my phone now" she said sweetly and was rewarded with a boyish grin on Arnav's face. How could he stay mad at her when she spoke like that ? He turned around and gathered her closer to himself. The love in her eyes knocked his breath out. His smile grew wider.
"It's okay, but now you'll have to address some more pressing concerns.", he said teasingly as he pressed himself closer to her, leaving no doubts in her mind as to what concerns he was referring to.
"Lets see what we can do about that" was her saucy reply, and then she proceeded to take him through a journey both painfully titillating and wonderfully exhilarating before allowing him any respite. He let her take control, over his heart as well as his senses as she straddled him, kissing her way down his body; her hands all over him, exploring every dent, every plane and every freckle like it was the first time.
When he couldn't take it any more, he turned her around in one swift move and ravished the pretty mouth that drove him insane every time he set his eyes on it. His hands moved down to the waistband of her jeans as he unzipped it and then pulled it off her along with her panties.
Arnav was a man of few words, and so he let his hands and his lips and his body speak for him. If Khushi had been bold and sensuous, Arnav was tender and indulgent. He entered her in one fluid move; when they came together, Khushi felt nothing less than a deity worshiped. They reached the heights of pleasure together, blissful in their togetherness and oblivious to the rest of the world.
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"I hope all your concerns are taken care of?" asked Khushi after a few long minutes, beaming at him.
"Certainly" he said and claimed her lips for a kiss.
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Khushi pouted as Arnav offered her a slice of pizza, sticking her tongue out making her annoyance more than clear. Arnav chuckled at her antics and brought the slice close to her mouth, silently asking her to take a bite. Khushi couldn't frown even if she wanted to, as the warm gooey cheese melted in her mouth.
She had wanted to cook dinner for the both of them, but Arnav insisted that he'd rather spend time talking to her or better, having sex, rather than slaving in front of the stove. He was adamant and she had to give in, and so Arnav had placed an order for a large pizza and some garlic bread. Pizza with some extra cheese, just to help him calm her down in case she threw a tantrum. He was thankful for the extra cheese now.
"Good move" he heard Khushi speak once she finished the slice.
"What move?" he asked, confused.
Wiping her mouth with a tissue, "The extra cheese. It shut me up just right." she smirked.
"What? I thought you liked extra cheese!"
"I love it. But you don't. In fact you hate it with a vengeance. You wouldn't order it unless you wanted to settle an argument before it began."
The sheepish smile on his face was a give away, and he abstained from saying anything more.
"I leave for the trip tomorrow, its a remote village somewhere east of Maharashtra. One whole week, I may not get home cooked food. Even if it is home cooked, it isn't cooked by me or Amma. You know I am finicky about food, what if I hate it there? One whole week of bad food! Can you imagine? Thats why I wanted to cook tonight.. last meal before I sent out for slaughter."
"Khushi! Its just one week, and you'll be so busy you won't have any time to worry about food. In any case, aunty has packed some theplas for you, right?"
"She has, but I can finish those in two days. What about the rest of the days?" she whined.
"Khushi, stop this. Its just five days. They'll be over before you know it. Just enjoy the pizza and all that cheese."
She gobbled another slice after a rather inelegant "Hmph".
"So, what are your plans for this week? I don't want you to miss me too much." she said playfully.
"Oh don't worry about that. Sinha has taken care of it. I am loaded with work... I am assisting him in three different cases at the same time, each one more challenging that the other. It will be a miracle if I am still sane by the time you come back."
"Aur Aman ka kya hua? Are you getting any time to look into that matter?"
She was glad she no longer had to tiptoe around the topic like as if it were made of China. Arnav was over the initial shock, and while he was still upset about being unable to help his friend, he was moving on. Payal had told her about her little chat with Arnav, and she had been glad to learn that he was doing fine. As she was herself unable to spend much time with him, she was grateful to her sister for having lent him a patient ear. There was still some hurt he was nursing, and there were times when it looked like he was completely lost; but she hoped to help him soothe that away.
"Aman ka ab tak jyada kuch nahi hua. He still refuses my help, but I did manage to give him a list of other defense lawyers he could get in touch with. They are all contacts of mine or Sinha's. It seems he has approached one of them, now I just hope it works out."
"Oh, alright. I hope you aren't blaming yourself for the mishap any more, Arnav?"
He sighed and leaned back on his chair; collecting his thoughts, "How do I put this, Khushi? I don't blame myself for what happened, but I am guilty of not helping my friend on time. You need to understand one thing - you and Payal and Di... and so many others, you guys do what you do because you like it. You have a passion for it; you have found something which gives you joy as well as peace. I have never had that, Khushi. I have never felt that rush,despite my best efforts. I was floundering in the dark for the longest time before I decided to do this. I had simple reasons behind my choice - it was respectable, I could make good money to take care of you and our families when we grow old... and every once in a while, I would have the opportunity to help somebody in need. And you see what happened ? The one time I had a chance to do something for a friend, I failed him. I am not being hard on myself Khushi, I am just sad to see that I failed to do one of the very few things that make my job worthwhile."
Khushi stopped herself from arguing against it, telling him it didn't matter. It did matter. To forgive oneself was the most difficult thing to do; he would have to want to let himself off the hook before he could look past it, and there was nothing she could do except be there with him throughout the journey.
"This is not the end, Arnav. There will be another chance, another case - you cannot weigh the significance of things against one another unless you see the bigger picture. And we have no idea what that looks like yet. How is one case more worthwhile than the other, Arnav ? You help whoever comes to you - and if you're successful even 2 times out of 5, I think it's quite worthwhile."
He smiled softly but didn't say anything; Khushi felt relieved as the creases on his forehead began to ease. But the loquacious speaker that was Khushi, she couldn't take the silence for any more than 2 minutes.
"Arnav, you are going to be fine, you have Sinha. My supervisor for the dissertation - Prof. Merchant? I realised my seniors were understating it when they said he was a task master. The man is a slave driver, and his standards are ridiculously high. I had assumed I will find some time to prepare for campus interviews and work on my manuscript during the few months of my dissertation, but looks like this Mechant has other plans for me. He wants me to do site visits, interviews, surveys.. and god alone knows what else. I think I'd be lucky to catch a few hours of sleep during this time...what was I thinking when I went to him! I should have just gone to Singhania, life would have been much simpler.Like those soap operas she has come from."
"Oh but when have you fancied anything simple ? Or soap operas for that matter?" he teased, earning a glare from Khushi.
"I am serious Arnav. I feel like I have bitten off more than I could possibly chew in a lifetime."
"Theres no way to go back and change it?"
"No, Singhania has no place now.. and I have already turned in my proposal." she said pouting.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it looks like its too much right now - but it will get done. Its good to be under pressure, I have seen work getting done in a miraculously short time when people are pushed. As Calvin would say, its the miracle of last minute pressure."
"What a lovely boyfriend I have! I tell him my worries and he quotes cartoons."
"Calvin is no cartoon."
"Maybe. But you certainly are one." she chuckled.
Edited by vgedin - 11 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
CID
55