Chapter Three
"Munni badnam hui, darrrling tere liye, Munni badna-"
"Shut up Khushi!"
"My name is Khushi, Khushi ki jawani-"
"You're not sexy enough for me."
"Gandi baat, gandi gandi gandi gandi gandi baat-"
"That's it! I'm going to-"
The bathroom door swung open, sending a puff of hot, moist steam into Arnav's face as Khushi walked out in just an oversized tshirt. She unwound the towel, a thick mass of black hair tumbling down in waves.
He froze as she absentmindedly rubbed at the wet strands. She flung it over her shoulder, and a heady scent of strawberries and citrus enveloped him. He could hear her singing "ice cream khaungi, Kashmir jaungi" to herself, her off pitch singing of trashy music suddenly becoming much more endearing.
He forced himself to keep his eyes away from the exposed, creamy legs that he had visions of wrapped around his-
She glanced up in the mirror, meeting his gaze, and her hands slowed, the towel almost completely stilling. Her dark hair was pulled over one shoulder, her neck tempting him to place a trail of kisses up the column.
He could vaguely hear a piano riff echoing in his head, the light, romantic melody playing in the background sounding suspiciously like the one from that TV show.
He shook his head, trying to get the music out of his brain.
"Stop singing that stupid song!"
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he realized that her singing had stopped a while ago.
He was going insane.
She tilted her head questioningly, and he looked away, trying to figure out where that stupid tune was coming from.
Ever since Khushi had moved in a few weeks ago, he had heard that song everywhere.
It seemed to always be stuck in his head
She had a terrible habit of humming all the time, and it didn't help that she watched that show every night.
It was all her damned fault.
It was no surprise that it was always stuck in his head.
Relieved that he had determined the source of the issue, Arnav looked back at Khushi confidently. He had no reason to feel embarrassed- it was all her fault anyway.
She was just lifting her hair into a messy bun, and he became very aware of the way her t-shirt rode up, leaving her legs almost completely bare.
Let down fully, the shirt almost fell down to her knees, but now... it barely masked the-
Wait.
She was wearing his shirt.
It was a little tight on him, but it nearly dwarfed her, making her look daintier than usual.
He saw the back, which had a list of sponsors for the "Annual Romance Writers Conference" listed neatly. The front was a scandalous, grainy black and white image of an entwined couple.
He had worn it only when he was pattering around the apartment, largely because he didn't want to incur the wrath of Buaji.
Even though she was an ocean and a couple of continents away, she still had the ability to make him tremble with her threats of havans and breaking narials. He wasn't afraid of the wrath of the Gods, but of the fact that he would have to sit through all those hours pouring ghee into a roaring fire.
He cursed under his breath when he noticed the way the shirt hung on her body, the baggy material failing to hide the gentle curves of her slim figure.
The woman would even look good in a paper bag.
"That's my shirt."
"Oh. Is it? I didn't really... notice."
She avoided his gaze carefully, not wanting to admit her little secret.
"You didn't notice that you're wearing a shirt at least three times your size?"
"Um, well, I have some old shirts from guys and I just... um, you know, chalked it up to this being one of theirs."
Guys? She owned shirts from random guys?
Arnav felt the slight twinge in his stomach, and he determinedly brushed it away, owing it to the fact that it was almost 9 AM and he hadn't eaten.
"Er... do you want it back?"
"No, keep it. Looks good on you."
The statement was out before he could stop it, and Arnav quickly whirled around before she could question him.
Cursing, he tore off his clothes, jumping into the shower.
The woman was making him go crazy.
Reaching out, he turned the handle 180 degrees, sighing in relief as the freezing water soaked him.
He closed his eyes, relishing the feel of the water dripping down, cooling the heated, bare skin.
He reached out blindly, his eyes closed as he dumped the shampoo into his hands. He lathered his hair, rubbing vigorously as the water began to run in a soapy trail down his back, dripping down his toned legs and arms.
He inhaled deeply, a sweet scent hitting him squarely in the nose as the foam began to slide down his skin.
The shampoo smelled distinctly like strawberries and citrus.
And that stupid song was back. Again.
***
Khushi sighed in relief when the door to the bathroom closed, running away from there as fast as she could.
She had a secret.
She stumbled out of the bathroom, his careless statement ringing in her head. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest, thudding in her brain with uncomfortable clarity.
She had run out of there, and it must have been a result of that exertion. The fact that Khuda Ve was playing in the back of her head along with that had absolutely nothing to do with it.
She really needed to stop watching that show every night. Three years later, and her obsession hadn't faded.
Arnav was right. She did need help.
And she was really out of shape for all of her jogging.
She also needed to put an end to the admittedly long trips to the bakery at the corner of the street that usually ended up being her... temporary resting place.
But those weren't her secret.
She had noticed, of course, that she was wearing his shirt.
It had been hanging behind the bathroom door one day, and she had forgotten her clothes. She had grabbed it, promising mentally to return it as soon as she put her clothes on.
She took in a deep breath, the musky scent of his cologne mingling with the spicy smell of the the chai.
Groaning, she berated herself.
This was only supposed to be a temporary situation.
She should have borrowed the shirt, and then slipped it into the wash before he could notice.
But instead, the addictive scent had made her keep the shirt for much longer than appropriate.
And now she was suffering the consequences.
"No, keep it. Looks good on you."
She blushed furiously when she recalled his statement, his still sleepy, husky voice ringing in her ears.
She buried her face in her elbows, inhaling the now familiar, warming scent of his cologne. It was intoxicating, making her shiver as it spread through her.
She resented the fact that the smell was beginning to fade, forcing her to take a deeper breath.
"Are you... smelling my shirt?"
She started, whipping around to face him. He was leaning against the doorframe, a small smirk playing on his lips. He wore a crisp button down that hung loose from his jeans, his hair just barely falling into his eyes.
She swallowed, trying to ignore the rapid increase in her heartbeat.
He looked... sinfully good.
It wasn't fair that someone looked this attractive so early in the morning.
He raised his eyebrow, and she looked down at herself, shifting uncomfortably.
"Of- of course not! W-what sort of a question is that? That's ridiculous! I was just uh... um... you know..."
"No, I don't know."
"I w-was just- checking my phone."
"In your elbow?"
"I was... yes. I was checking for an update."
"An update."
"Uh... yes. An Illusions update. It's been three weeks, and she updates every Friday. But she disappeared without a trace! No note, no explanation-"
An irritated frown appeared on her face, her jaw clenching as she glanced down at her phone.
"Go easy on her. Maybe uh-she's... uh... busy."
"She could at least tell us that she is."
"Or... maybe... maybe stuck."
"Stuck?! Stuck on what?"
"It's not that easy to write a story, maybe she-"
The doorbell interrupted their conversation, and Arnav hastily moved to get it, revealing Geet and Aman standing there with two large, cardboard boxes.
"You have more of her stuff?"
Geet peeked around the box, wincing.
"Sorry, Arnav. And shouldn't you be typi-"
"Would you like some chai?"
Geet glared at him, and he smiled back innocently.
"Nice try, Raizada, but you're not getting me off of your back. You're just pushing off the inevitable."
"I'll get it done, I'll get it done. Come in."
The couple dumped the boxes on the ground, groaning and rubbing their shoulders.
Geet raised an eyebrow, eyeing Khushi's outfit. She walked up to her, keeping her voice purposefully quiet so Arnav and Aman couldn't hear.
"Is that Arnav's shirt...?"
"Yes. I... I didn't realize."
"You know what they say about wearing a guy's shirt, right?"
Geet smiled smugly, her grin satisfied enough to beat the Chesire Cat.
"No. I don't know."
"It's like you're his."
"I-I don't belong to anyone. That's just crap made up by society to-"
"You know that's not what I mean. You don't sound completely sure there, Khushi. Are you sure you don't want to be his?"
Khushi reddened, her eyes flitting about the room as she fiddled with the edges of the shirt.
"You've been editing too many romance novels. It- It just smells good, okay?"
"God, Khush, you've got to get rid of some of those books."
Aman huffed, interrupting the conversation.
Geet smiled wickedly, and Khushi looked away, avoiding her gaze.
"Oh, she won't get rid of any of those- she loves them, doesn't she?"
"I do. They're good books."
She looked up, meeting Geet's gaze defiantly. Geet grinned mischievously, reaching for the tape holding the box shut.
"So... why don't we get this unpacked?"
"No!"
Three pairs of eyes turned on her, and she hastily moved to justify herself.
"Uh... I mean, you guys look tired and all... I can do it. By myself."
She shot Geet a pointed look, placing a hand on the box to keep it shut.
"Khush, are you sure you-"
"I'm sure."
Aman raised his hands in surrender, stepping away from the box.
"I know how you and Geet met- but how did you meet Aman, Khushi?"
"Arnav, you're just putting it off, aren't you?"
Arnav grinned, handing Geet a cup as he walked into the room.
"What? I didn't quite hear you."
Khushi rolled her eyes, meeting Arnav's curious gaze.
"Through Geet. I ended up playing the awkward third wheel-"
"Nonsense, we like having you along."
"Please, you just say that because you had to be nice to be so I wouldn't comment on the noise that came late at night when you thought I was asleep."
Geet blushed deeply, and a satisfied smirk appeared on Aman's face as he pulled his wife close.
"You can thank me for introducing them and forcing you through that."
"We owe you everything, Arnav."
Geet said dryly, rolling her eyes.
"Wait, I thought you met at-"
"Work? Yes, Aman came in to pick up Arnav for drinks the night before his final draft was due. He interrupted me in the middle of yelling at Arnav for being a lazy ass, and... well..."
"Aman asked Geet for her number, and the two of them left me behind to go out for drinks."
Arnav glared at Geet reproachfully, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"And we'll do that tonight too, if you don't get your draft in."
Caller Tune rang through the air, and Khushi's eyes widened, and she jumped up from the sofa, sprinting into the back room.
She walked back out, pulling on a blazer as she rushed out the door.
"I forgot my meeting with the mayoral candidate! You guys owe me drinks!"
She ran down the street, her heels catching against the pavement and sending her flying forward just as she reached the door of the office.
A pair of strong arms caught her, bracing her fall.
She looked up to see a tall man looking down at her in amusement, wearing a crisp suit, his warm brown eyes scanning her face.
She stood up, straightening her skirt and blushing underneath his intense gaze.
"You okay there?"
"Uh... yeah. Just a little late."
He smiled, and Khushi felt herself melt.
He was really attractive.
"Nitin Khurrana. But you, sweetheart, can call me NK."
***
A Desh Forums conversation between Happyness and IFaraq69:
Happyness: You haven't given us an update in almost three weeks, and we've heard nothing from you. What's the deal?
IFaraq69: Have some clemency. I've been busy, okay? Er... acidity issues. And what kind of a username is Happyness'? It's an i, not a y.
Happyness: You could have at least told us. Acidity? I hope it's in the Aditi sense, because otherwise that is TMI. And thank you, genius. I'm well aware of the spelling- haven't you ever seen the movie with Will Smith?
***
Note: And that's where I'll leave you for today! My sincerest apologies for not having Arnav in jockeys- I hope a dripping, wet Arnav did the trick ;)
As always, please follow @ipkchotidesi or buddy me for PMs. The next update will be late this week or sometime early next week. Happy reading!
Love always,
Choti.
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