Posted:
Hi! Well, I have posted a few OSs before. Some of you are familiar with them. This one, I wrote, tried to edit. I didn't like it much, but a friend told me to post it because it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was. Basically, it might be a tad bit cheesy & that makes me queasy 😆.
It was 10.30pm. The party had slowed down. Only close friends & family had stayed back. Arnav saw a chance to withdraw from the living room without being noticed & took it. He went to the poolside, straight. He stopped abruptly at the doorway when he saw her standing, leaning against the wall, looking at him with a superior expression. His heart thudded a little harder as he saw her.
P.S: The title is the way it is because Arnav-Khushi & Payal-Akash's wedding happened in Spring, sometime in February, I believe.
Anyway, this OS title, it is an alteration of the title of a Lisa Kleypas book called 'It Happened One Autumn'. Besides that, there is no similarity between this OS & that novel.
I hope you enjoy reading this. Leave a word of feedback, whether good, bad or terrible if it isn't too much to ask. I am usually very curious as to what the readers think of what I have written. If you have nothing to say, that's fine, too.
I edited & proofread it when my mood was in the dumps. So, if you find any typos, let me know.
If you are interested in checking out any of my older OSs, you can find it in MyPosts in my profile, 5 are in IPK forum & 1 in the FF forum. After that really long Author's Note, here goes the OS.
OS: It Happened One Spring
Strains of music floated into the bedroom as Arnav Singh Raizada stood in front of the mirror knotting his tie. The sound of flowing conversation, clinking champagne glasses & laughter from the party going on in full swing in Raizada Mansion were not enough to draw him out of his silent ruminations. He, passively shrugged on his jacket & looked at himself in the mirror.
In the mirror, Arnav found the image of a distinguished looking man in his early thirties, a man who looked particularly restless that evening, despite the overall buoyant atmosphere in his house. The clock chimed & brought him out of his revery. It was already 8pm. The party had been on for longer than an hour. If he didn't make an appearance soon, his grandmother & sister would harass him to no end. He took a deep breath & went out to join the boisterous crowd in the living room.
Fifth wedding anniversary. Payal & Aakash had decided to celebrate the occasion a little more elaborately than they did, every year. Arnav would've given a hand & a leg to not have to be at home on that particular day. As Arnav walked around greeting people, as etiquette & manners demanded, the hollowness in his chest doubled, making him ache to leave. He consciously avoided his family members, lest they start expressing concerns, making it all the more awkward for him. However, he did wish his brother & sister-in-law, both of whom gave him a look of concern, which he stubbornly refused to acknowledge.
The cool spring night breeze soothed his frayed nerves as Arnav looked on at the festivities & celebrations in the centre of the hall from the periphery, a glass of champagne in his hand. He sighed & opened the French windows to move to the balcony. He stood there, leaning against the railing. It was a new addition to Raizada mansion, & at that moment, an addition that Arnav greatly appreciated. He smiled to himself as he remembered how that decision to renovate had come about, a stubborn woman had had her way. It was his first genuine smile that evening.
Arnav had managed to avoid staying in Delhi on this same day every year for the past 4years. He looked at the scene unfolding in the hall as his family members took turns in feeding Aakash & Payal the anniversary cake. 5 years of marriage. That day marked his 5th year of being a married man, too. He shut his eyes at that thought. Now, that had brought along with it such memories that even years had not managed to drive away. Regret, guilt & perhaps, humility, all rushed into his mind unbidden, making him wish he had made some arrangement to be elsewhere that day, like all other years. Then, why had he not?
The answer came in the form of a woman who had just then rushed into the living room & straight into Payal Raizada's arms. Khushi had, evidently left her luggage at the doorstep & was busy hugging her sister & brother-in-law. Ever the iron filings to her magnet, Arnav's family gravitated towards her, all perhaps ready to demand a share of her attention.
As Arnav looked at the scene playing out, he felt himself breathe easy for the first time that day. The woman who had turned his world upside down when they had met had strangely turned into the key to his inner peace, it seemed. He was no more immune to her magnetism than the other Raizadas. So, he moved towards the sliding doors & stood at the doorway to the hall, within hearing range of the conversation happening between Khushi & the Raizadas.
Arnav could hear her baby talk Aakash & Payal's little boy, as she coddled him. The two year old who adored his aunt laughed & patted her cheeks with both his hands as she held him.
"Aloo Kumar! You brat! Changed sides, have you? Slapping your own aunt!" she was saying as the boy gurgled some more. Arnav couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't seen her in a while. And, the sight of her was so overwhelming that he had to breathe in deep to compose himself. It was probably, the occasion & the importance of the day, getting to him, he thought. He lifted his head to look back at her & their eyes met, & held for the smallest of moments before she was hugging her mother & aunt who were in attendance at the party.
It was 10.30pm. The party had slowed down. Only close friends & family had stayed back. Arnav saw a chance to withdraw from the living room without being noticed & took it. He went to the poolside, straight. He stopped abruptly at the doorway when he saw her standing, leaning against the wall, looking at him with a superior expression. His heart thudded a little harder as he saw her.
"Took you long enough to come here." Khushi said, without preamble, crossing her arms across her chest.
Arnav smiled at her tone. "Women in my life being a pain in the ass & all that." he said.
"Hey!" she started indignantly.
"Elder sisters!" he said peaceably, correcting himself before she starts raging at him. That response seemed to sooth her ruffled feathers a little. She was back to looking at him intently as he moved towards her. He couldn't help but recollect how he had once nearly kissed her against that wall on a diwali years ago. And, how spectacularly, that situation had spiralled out of control, all because they couldn't keep themselves away from each other. Sigh, the dance they danced, all the time. He smiled at that fancy thought.
Khushi narrowed her eyes as she saw him smiling to himself. "What's got you smiling?" she asked, curiously.
That made him smile wider. "You." he said without missing a beat.
"Stop being so tacky." she said, scoffing but unable to hold back her own smile.
Arnav shook his head at her as he came to stand in front of her.
"So? Do you need an invitation, perhaps?" Khushi asked sarcastically, without any rancour.
Arnav laughed at her sass & unable to help himself bent his head & kissed her squarely on her mouth. "Happy Anniversary." he said, his lips still moving against hers.
Khushi sighed contentedly, mumbling back the same to him & giving into the kiss, holding his face with her hands & meeting his passion with her own. When they were both in need of oxygen, they emerged from the kiss, with her in the circle of his arms & her hands clutching his collar.
"How come you're not in the U.K, Japan, Korea or freakin' Mexico, avoiding this day like you usually do?" Khushi asked with interest.
Arnav cocked his head slightly as he said with the teasing warmth in his eyes which was so familiar to her, "Someone had to make sure you have reached home in one piece, seeing how you have been working your nice little ass off with that chef of yours in Bombay." Khushi raised an eyebrow at that & he couldn't hold back the longing in his voice when he added, "For two whole months, at that!"
Khushi pulled at his collar & kissed him on the jaw, the stubble grazing her skin after weeks. She had been busy setting up a branch of her restaurant in Mumbai & Arnav had been too occupied with the Spring collection launch to make more than one trip for a mere 24hrs during that whole time. Ah, what a reunion that had been after a month of only Skype & calls!
Khushi shook herself out of her thoughts before they spiralled in a different direction as she pulled back a little to look at her husband's face. She sighed. He had missed her. And, considering how sweet talking wasn't natural to his diabetic self, he was going about expressing himself with his usual sarcasm.
Khushi smiled. "Awww. I'm going to make sure I am not in town before this day, every year, then." she said, teasingly.
"Don't you dare." he said even as he kissed her throat.
"I'll stay-on this day, every year, from now on but you aren't going anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary. I'll lose my mind or I'll drive Di up the wall in frustration."
Arnav lifted his head to look at her. Khushi beamed like a freakin' headlight, extremely pleased with his statement. Arnav just shook his head at her, a smile lurking at the corners of his mouth.
Khushi sobered before she asked, "So, are we done with having to tip-toe around our own anniversary?"
Arnav tried to disentangle himself from her on hearing the question, but she pulled him back to herself. She wasn't going to let him detach himself from her. Arnav saw the stubborn set of her face, gave in & sighed.
"It was awful what I did to you, to us. It's hardly anybody's dream anniversary. And, definitely not one you deserve. I am trying to deal with my guilt, Khushi. It won't disappear in a day or even in years. But, I am learning to not put that before everything else, before us. In any case, we do celebrate our anniversary on the day we took pheras. And, might I say, every one of those days & especially, the nights have been rather memorable." he said, smiling, trying to infuse a little lightness to the heavy conversation. Khushi smiled at his effort.
"After that thing we tried last year, I would be surprised if you hadn't thought it memorable." Khushi played along.
Arnav sighed nostalgically. "That was hot. We should try that again." he said.
Khushi chuckled & then, sobered up before she spoke, getting back to the original topic.
"It's been 5yrs, Arnav. Everyone has moved on. At least, we have. Look at where we are! Look at you. You have been openly moping around about my not being here-" when he made to protest, she arched her brows & said "-Don't even bother with denying it. Aman has called me, at least 10 times demanding that I come to Delhi, so you wouldn't bite your designers' heads off. You have been a bear."
Arnav only scowled, knowing he couldn't argue that point. Khushi, then, continued with an abrupt smile that was both wicked & teasing, "And, look at me. Had you not come up, here in a few minutes, I would've kissed you senseless right in the party." she said, pressing herself against the length of his body with a glint of mischief in her eyes. Arnav tried to resist the pull of those hazel eyes & her quick smile, but who was he kidding! It had taken him a while, but he was her willing victim.
Arnav smiled back at her, looking at her wondrously. Then, as a thought entered his mind, he shook his head & laughed. Khushi made an enquiring gesture & he continued to laugh as he explained, "Naani's face would've been worth watching had you kissed me in the party."
Khushi laughed along before saying, "Let's not forget that our background music would've been Hello-Hi-Bye-Bye & Haye-Re-Nandkishore."
Arnav's laughter doubled & he muffled it as he turned his face to the crook of her neck. Khushi held him as his body shook with laughter & the joy of her.
Arnav sobered after a while & lifted his head, his eyes still glinting with residual laughter.
"Coming back to the point, we won't be tip-toeing around this day. I am sorry that we did, all these years. And, thank you for letting me deal with this my way. You have shown rather uncharacteristic patience, that will definitely be rewarded tonight." he said smiling teasingly, but with a sincerity that left Khushi momentarily speechless.
"So, you are going to be here, in New Delhi, next year on this day?" she asked trying to make sure she had heard him right, unconsciously playing with his tie & wrinkling it.
Arnav looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Not really." & bending, trying to kiss her neck.
Khushi pulled his head up to look at her, her expression demanding an explanation & he sighed.
"You're turning into this big shot hotelier now, Khushi. Who knows if you'll be in Delhi, this time next year! So, I give my word that I'll be with you this day, next year." He smiled the adoring smile that she was often the recipient of & trailed his mouth from her cheek to her ear as he continued in a voice that turned more husky with each word, "Be that in Delhi, in the US, the UK, Mexico or even freakin' Alaska, I'll be with you next year."
Khushi looked astonished & then smiled & asked, "And, the year after?"
"And, the next; and, the year after; and, every damn year." he said, looking at her face intently.
"And, now, let me kiss you, woman, because I have shown rather uncharacteristic patience, myself these past months. And, I will be collecting my reward, too." Arnav said gruffly, making Khushi laugh.
"I am sure you'll be quite meticulous in giving & collecting it." she said, still laughing. "Come here, you impatient man." she said pulling his face down, their mouths melding together.
"I didn't dance at all, tonight." she whispered against his mouth in between kisses.
"Hmmm. We should change that. Dance with me?" he said pressing kisses at the corners of her mouth.
"Always." she said & he felt his heart thud against his rib cage. When had Arnav Singh Raizada become such a sap! When the woman in his arms had entered his life.
"Dirty dancing?" he asked smirking.
"Is there any other kind you prefer!" Khushi said without missing a beat making him chuckle.
As they swayed to the low strains of music floating in from the living room, Arnav abruptly stopped feeling her up & lifted his head from nipping her ear lobe.
"You won't be naming our kids if you call my nephew Aloo Kumar one more time, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada!" he said, even as they swayed.
Khushi made an indignant sound of protest. She was about to argue about how appropriate & adorable a nickname Aloo Kumar was, when Arnav decided they had spoken too much for the evening & their tongues should be put to better use. He smiled a wicked smile before sealing her mouth with his.
The sounds of muffled laughter & groans filled the poolside. Devyani Raizada who was walking by the corridor heard them & rolled her eyes even as she smiled to herself.
P.S: The title is the way it is because Arnav-Khushi & Payal-Akash's wedding happened in Spring, sometime in February, I believe.
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