KHUSHI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 019)
THIS ACT WHICH COULD BE nothing to one and everything to another; which could part some forever and bind others for life---this act had never previously held much value for Arnav. He had spent his adult life pursuing power and his physical needs had always remained incidental. But, with Khushi, power-possession-need-desire had converged and now culminated. He was spent. As though he had been journeying towards this moment since the day she fell off the runway into his arms. He felt incredible relief. The sweet relief of reaching a destination and knowing that he could remain in that place forever.
BUT OUR CONCERNS WERE first for our heroine. What were her feelings now? For Khushi, the destination was reached---and it terrified her. This act which she had anticipated, desired---even fantasized about---had brought the gift of unbelievable unimaginable pleasure. But the gift had come with a cord. A cord that now forever bound her happiness to this man laying next to her. She no longer belonged only to herself. He had taken her peace and now possessed it. His actions, his movements, his decisions would affect her acutely. Would he come to love her? Oh Devi Maiyya, I can't do without him now! Not after this.
Her eyes touched on his face. His eyes were closed. His breathing was even, restful---he was asleep, entirely unaware of the fears she felt. Her eyes glided over his form. How curious and odd is a man's body, she thought---blushing at the memory of his power. She quickly covered him with the duvet, and slipped out of the bed. She turned down the room lights so he could sleep undisturbed, and stepped into the bathroom. She was desperate for a shower. She needed hot water and plenty of it.
ARNAV'S EYES PARTED and he was disoriented for a moment. He lay diagonally across the bed. A heavy duvet covering him from chin to toe. The room lights were dimmed. He glanced at the clock. It was just past midnight. He had dozed off for only a few minutes. He reached for Khushi, and at the same time became aware of the sound of water running in the bathroom. He climbed out of the bed, his senses still groggy from pleasure and sleep. He rapped on the bathroom door. "Khushi---?"
No reply. He called out louder. "Khushi! Are you ok?"
An unreasonable fear rose in him. He tried the door. It was unlocked. He hesitated---but only for a moment.
She was standing beneath the shower head, enveloped in a mist of steam. Her eyes closed. Her head tilted back with her arms held above her head. Her hands formed a chute so water trickled down onto her face. He felt he had stumbled upon some fairy nymph in a woodland grove, caught in a rain dance. Her hair lay over her breasts in drenched whippets, as water cascaded down her tummy and over her hips. He noticed that the hip belt remained in place. His male instincts responded to this vision.
She must have sensed something alter in her environment because Khushi's eyes flew open.
For a suspended moment, the two simply stared at each other. His eyes held by her beauty. Her eyes registering shock. He saw her eyes dip down to his hips.
She shrieked. Then attempted to cover herself with her hands. Realizing it was futile, she swung away from him, presenting her back.
It was then that Arnav realized that he was naked. He spotted her towel on the rack, nabbed it and secured it around his waist.
Khushi was looking at him over her shoulder and shouting, "Ye kya tarika hai---!"
"---lower your voice," he warned, quite sure that every member of the household was at this moment racing towards their bedroom in panic mode, expecting to find a fire or burglary---or both!---in progress.
"Look the other way," she cried.
He did as he was told, so they were back to back. "I knocked. Twice," he added, to explain why he had seen it fit to invade her privacy.
Explanations were not her primary need, he realized. She needed a towel---for his sake as well as for her own.
He fetched a towel, informed her that he was placing it on the rack and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He halted on the other side of the door, and ran his hand through his hair. Releasing a ragged breath, he admitted to himself that, yes, he had panicked. When she hadn't replied to his knocking, he had imagined---what had he imagined? That she was hurt? That she was in pain?
No, his first thought had been that Khushi had left him.
He put aside the thought. Opening her side of the wardrobe, he removed one of her night kurta suits and placed it on the bed.
KHUSHI HEARD THE BEDROOM DOOR CLOSE. He had left the room. She carefully opened the bathroom door and surveyed the room. It was empty. Grateful that he had placed her suit on the bed, she dashed forward, grabbed it and raced back to the bathroom to don it. She wasn't taking any further chances. Once dressed, she stepped carefully into the bedroom again. He was not in sight. While he was still out of the room, she quickly tidied the bedroom. Picking up strewn clothing, shoes and sandals reminded her too much of the activity that had followed. That stream of thought led to another.
The bed! She had to change the bedsheet. She raced around the bed, tugging and pulling---she had just stripped the sheet off the bed when Arnav returned. She saw his eyes take in her activity. Khushi looked away sheepishly, bundling the stained sheet into a tight ball behind her back.
"Milk?" he asked, indicating a tray in his hand.
She gave a nod.
"I'll wait by the pool," he said. Then added the word, "hurry." He stepped through the sliding doors and Khushi hastily re-made the bed with fresh sheets.
He is waiting for me. She suddenly became self-conscious, and stopped at the mirror to check her appearance. She was aware that she looked very young and unglamorous in her bachelorette nightwear. She was all eyes and mouth and damp hair. She adjusted the dupatta over her chest, and then removed it. Then wrapped it around herself like a shawl. And removed it once more. "Stop it, Khushi," she scolded herself under her breath. She then tossed the dupatta aside, drew in a deep breath and stepped outside to the poolside.
Her husband was standing. He sat only once she had chosen a chair. It had to be said that for the most part Arnav Singh Raizada was a gentleman. Except for those occasions when he bursts into bathrooms naked! She smiled to herself. In hindsight, it was quite hilarious.
When she lifted her glass of milk from the tray, she noticed a saucer piled high with jalebi.
"Jalebi?" she asked.
"I thought you might be hungry."
He met her eyes. She felt herself blushing at his words. Stop being such a schoolgirl, Khushi, she admonished herself. He lifted a jalebi from the plate and brought it to her lips. She bit into it, chewed, and reached to take another bite. Syrup oozed out, and she licked her lower lip to catch the drops.
In an instant, Arnav had bridged the gap between them and with one hand cradling the back of her head, he bent his head to gently suck on her lower lip, licking off the syrup.
She tried to say, "you can't have sugar---"
"---I'm having you. Not sugar."
He invaded her mouth with his tongue. She met him and leaned forward to allow him more access. It was not long before she found herself pulled onto his lap. Arnav cupped her buttocks, bringing her hips into contact with his arousal. Her eyes shot open, and he met her gaze.
Khushi felt his eyes were searching hers, and finally he asked, "are you comfortable?" She looked at him. Not quite understanding. "Are you sore, Khushi?" he asked with more clarity.
As he asked, Khushi became aware that she was quite sore, but every cell of her body screamed for more of his touch. In such cases, Sisters, a lie is allowable. "I'm comfortable," she stated.
His eyes darkened with pleasure and he carried her to their bed.
Jalebi Jane
Veer Hanuman
Anupamaa
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