OS - Arnav and Khushi: Part 1-3 - Page 2

What an OS you have written. This was incredible!!!⭐️

awesome , lovely , supereb ...

kya writing hai boss?it was superb😊

Brilliant update! 👏

Thanks for all the lovely encouraging comments everyone! Working on my next one and will upload as soon as I'm done. Exams keep interfering but I'll just have to show 'em who's boss.

And guys please add me if possible if you'd like me to PM you updates. Thanks!

very nice..but i have one question, did the snake die or shyam?🤣 continue please...

LOLLL the snake died of course, due to ingesting some of Shyaam's poisonous venom-y blood!

Author's note: As promised, delivering the third part guys. Apologize in advance for any mistakes made in the parts in Hindi.

Arnav and Khushi: Part 3

It was a lovely morning. The last traces of cool winter breeze were coming through the open windows, and the curtains were dancing rhythmically with it. The soft rays of the lazy sun was bathing the room, filling it with a warm glow. The intoxicating aroma of Jasmine that had flowered the night before was wafting inside from the garden, adding its own hue to the ambiance.

Khushi was feeling unnaturally happy. She couldn't remember why. She had just come out of the bathroom after showering and was standing in front of the mirror. She liked what she saw. Arnav was sitting on the bed behind her, reading a book, and she had a perfect view of him in the mirror. His eyes were still sleepy, and his hair slightly dishevelled. He also needed a shave. But there he was, sitting right there quietly, the handsomest man in her world, the object of her affection. Her heart ached at the sight. She sighed... she would never get used to this feeling. His face however was holding its characteristic frown, as if the book had displeased him somehow. A smile almost touched her lips, but she suppressed it. She had an idea in mind.

She selected a simple necklace that matched with her saari and attempted to clasp it. Feigning frustration at not being able to get the job done, she stole a quick peek. Nope, no response. "Ahem" she coughed audibly. To no avail. Yeh Laad Governor bhi nah! Kabhi kuch nahin samajhte.

"Suniye..."

Arnav finally looked up, and faced her in the mirror. His brows were raised quizzically.

"Zaara idhar toh aaiye" She pointed at her clasp. (Can you please come over here?)

A smirk flashed across his face.

He walked up to her quietly and took the hook from her hands and clasped it.

"Aur kuch chaahiye?" (Anything else?)

Khushi turned around . " Haaan woh...!" But she was stopped by the expression on his face. He was smiling. It seemed like a genuine smile. But Khushi could hardly trust anything with this man.

He took a step closer.

Khushi was suddenly nervous. May be this wasn't such a good idea. She took a step back.

"Arnavji..."

"Ji Khushiji?" The light smile was still touching his lips.

He continued stepping forward, forcing Khushi to step backwards until she hit the dressing table. She was trapped. Arnav was blocking all other ways of getting out.

Khushi's heart started racing. She was acutely aware of his nearness and did not like the mischievous smile on his face.

"Arnavji aap..." She couldn't finish. Arnav's arm was reaching for something. Khushi's eyes widened as his arm went around her. Oh god this was a bad idea! And she only had herself to blame... she thought to herself as she closed her eye in apprehension. A moment passed by and nothing happened. Khushi opened her eyes to assess the situation.

Arnav was standing in front of her with the sindoor container in his hand. Khushi was completely taken aback by the turn of the event. And then she realized what he had done. Well played, sir... she thought to herself as she suppressed a smile.

"Rehne dijiye... Main kar loongi..." (It's alright, I'll do it myself) Khushi pretended not to be interested.

"Rehne doon? Okay." He put the container down abruptly and attempted to walk away.

Khushi's jaw dropped. The arrogance of this man! No, he is not getting away with it this time.

She grabbed his shoulder from behind and pulled him back. He turned. The smirk was back on his face.

"Hmm?" He raised his eye brows.

She didn't reply. She was angry. She knew there was no reason to be, that she had asked him to do what he did, but it didn't matter. In fact, that only added fuel to her anger.

Her expression didn't seem to affect him very much. He seemed to be enjoying the situation.

Khushi had had enough. She decided to storm past him right now and then to give him silent treatment for the rest of the day. Yeah, that seemed like an appropriate solution. But even as she turned and started walking away, she felt a little let down. Oh well, the morning was much too beautiful to be spent chasing a clueless bum. She was about to start thinking about making some jalebis when she had to halt. Her aanchal was stuck somewhere.

***

Lakshmiji was taking her daily walk. She had a lot in her mind. After all, she was the only one in this big house who had any clue about what was truly going on. Being a wise goat was often a burden, Lakshmiji thought. It gave you the responsibility to take actions, without giving you the means to do so. She had to devise a plan somehow though, because her favourite Khushi didi was suffering, and for no good reason. Arnav babaji, who she had also come to love over the years despite his obvious faults, was also suffering. And that was killing her. She had never seen a pair more meant to be together than these two. And it was killing her seeing them tearing each other apart instead of making babies, as any good natured goats should do. Humans as well. Well this will simply not do, she thought to herself. She decided to take some actions as soon as she got home, she thought while eying the handsome neighbour goat. Right after I have acquired a second glance from this sucker. She straightened her posture and assumed her loveliest gait as she walked past him. He looked back of course, and kept looking. What a s**t! Lakshmi thought to herself.

***

Khushi had had been in way too many radical dupatta situations to assume anything. She turned slowly, not sure what to expect. She was not going to be fooled again.

Her aanchal was stuck alright. Arnav was holding it. Hmm.

"Yeh aap kya kar rahe ho... chhoriyen" (Let me go!)

Arnav dropped her aanchal. "Chhor diya. Ab zaara idhar aana". (Okay... Now come over here.)

Khushi didn't know what to do. But she wasn't given too long to decide. Arnav caught one of her hands and pulled her in front of the mirror. Khushi was left staring at the mirror, as Arnav took a pinch of sindoor and applied it to the parting of her hair. Khushi felt her face flushing slightly. Against her better judgement, she let out a smile. She kept admiring the image in front of her. Herself, with a smile, and Arnav right behind her. What a handsome couple the two of them made. She knew she shouldn't be changing her mind just so soon like this, and definitely shouldn't be letting him go for all his incessant teasing, but she couldn't help it. Oh devi maiya, the curses of being a girl!

She could have stood like that for ages, but Arnav apparently had other plans. He turned her around to face him. And then his left hand clasped her right as he leaned forward and his cheek touched hers. The intimacy of the touch took her breath away. Heaven, she felt like she was in heaven... and her heart was beating so that she could hardly speak. Or move. She couldn't understand how one man was capable of eliciting this many different responses in her. She was embarrassed beyond words at her own reaction, and one part of her brain told her to get away from the situation in order to retain some dignity. But brain B was not in agreement, and wanted her to stay right there. It wanted the moment to stop, so it could absorb every essence of it, get drunk in it. Brain A wanted to remind her that all of this... these sensations, the situation, were alien beings, and they haven't decided where they stood on these matters. But it was fighting a losing battle. The warmth that was surrounding her had closed her mind off from receiving any logical signals. Against her will, or perhaps following its desire, Khushi's face turned slightly toward Arnav, and her lips brushed against his cheek lightly. Arnav turned to face her. The smirk was gone from his face. He looked at her closely as his fingers caressed her face lightly. His lips followed. Khushi felt the earth slipping away from beneath her feet, and she didn't want to have it any other way.

***

Khushi woke up with a start. Her face was flushed with sweat. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was. She was in her room, lying on the bed. It took a few more seconds for the details of the dream to come back.

Khushi sat up in shock. What was that dream?! Heh devi maiya, yeh bukhaar toh humein pagaal hi karke chhorega! Yeh hum kya sochne laage! She clasped her face with both hands in despair. Areh!... bukhaar toh ab hain hi nahin... toh yeh kya baat hui... Khushi could feel herself turn redder by the second. Suddenly she remembered something else. Areeh! Hum aapse phir se baat karne lagi! Yeh hum bhi na... ab se aur nahin bhoolungi...nahin karni hai aap se koi baat... ab se hum buaji ki nand kishore se hi kaam chalaa loongi! Before she could think any farther, she saw Arnav shifting in the couch. Khushi's eyes widened and her mouth opened to form its characteristic "o". She fixed her saari in a hurry and attempted to lie back down and pretend to sleep. But all in vain. She was too late. Arnav's eyes opened and his gaze landed straight on her.

***

Her hair smelled lovely, Arnav thought as he buried his face in it. He felt intoxicated. He could feel Khushi's breaths getting heavier by the second. Arnav lifted his head lazily and looked at her. Khushi looked back with that lovely shy and timid look that he so enjoyed seeing. His finger traced her cheeks lightly, and then followed along her jawline, her neck, and arrived at the hollow of her neck. How is her skin so perfect... he thought to himself. He wasn't complaining though. It was as smooth and white as porcelain, and it was all his. As was the owner. Arnav leaned forward to kiss her again. He felt drunk. He was amazed by this feeling. He couldn't even begin to fathom how this was even possible. All of this. That this was the same girl that he had dropped mercilessly from the first floor of his office. The same girl who he wanted to defeat, wanted to dominate more than anything else. Who he didn't care if lived or died. Hell, at that point, he hadn't cared if he lived or died. Who he hated for so long that he never realized when the lines were blurred and when his heart had betrayed him. Who he had insulted, demeaned, and undermined at every step, every day, but who nonetheless remained with him, around him, every moment. Chaah kar bhi jise bhoola na paya, or bhoola kar bhi jiski chahat dil se nahin mita. When did all this happen? When did she start looking for him when she was in trouble, she was in pain? When did seeing her walking through the door become the best part of his day? When did her smile begin to mean more to him than all of his wealth combined? When exactly did he start looking for excuses to be around her? Kab se chahne laga ke uski haathon ki churi, aur maathe ki bindi pe sirf mera naam ho? Kabse lagne laga ke uski maathe ki sindoor pe, aur uski haathon ki mehndi pe, sirf mera hi rang ho? Kabse chahne laga ke agar woh naache, toh sirf mere hi baahon mein, aur agar haase toh sirf mere hi baaton mein? Ke jab chaahoon, sirf main hi usse sataaoon... aur jab woh roothe, toh sirf main hi usse manaaoon? Kab se bhari mahfil mein sirf woh hi nazar aane lagi? Aur andhere akelepan mein mahfil ki tarha chhaane lagi? Yeh kya woh hi ladki hai? Aur kya yeh woh hi main hi hoon? He didn't have an answer, so Arnav embraced her tighter, so she can never get away. He wasn't too worried; he had a lifetime to figure out the answers.

(The preceding Hindi part: Since when did he start expecting that the bangles on her arms and the 'bindi' on her forehead should only reflect his name? Since when did he start desiring that the henna on her hands and the 'sindoor' on her head be only worn on account of him? And that he was the only one that ever got to tease her, and when she got mad, that he was the one making up with her? Since when did her face begin to stand out in the middle of a crowd? And start bringing happiness in moments of dark loneliness? Is this that same girl who he had first met? Was he even the same person anymore?)

***

Arnav rubbed his eyes to get rid of the clouds of sleep and looked up again. He smiled when he saw Khushi looking at him with wide eyes. Oh good, she's up, he thought fondly. Then it hit him. It was a dream! All of it! Arnav sat up instantly from the shock. He averted his gaze away from her as he remembered the details. He couldn't believe it. He thought he had full control over everything! Including his dreams! What was that nonsense?! But even as he thought that, the flashes of the scenes passed through his mind, leaving a trace of some warm, fuzzy substance. Something completely alien to him, so he decided to ignore it. But he could feel his face getting warm, so he looked up in panic. Khushi was still looking at him, with the strangest look on her face. And that was saying something, because Arnav had mainly learned about peculiar expressions solely from her. Wait, why was she looking at him like that? Did she know? How could she? It was impossible. Yet, her face was red as well... as if she was embarrassed as well. Arnav's hands got sweaty with nervousness.

Khushi was befuddled as well. She had half expected Arnav to start telling her off again, or continue with the hated indifference. At the very least, she expected some quiet kindness on account of her illness. But what was this? He looked totally puzzled as well. And wait, was he blushing? Khushi's eyes couldn't widen any farther as even they had reached their limits. Heh devi maiya! Did he know what she was dreaming about?! Devi maiya, aap ki kasam, aap yeh maat hone dena! Khushi covered her face with her aanchal in an attempt to retain some dignity.

That is when the memories from last night came flashing back. She remembered how he had carried her to the bed once again. And how he let her stay there, and covered her with a blanket. And how he stayed there beside her until she fell asleep...

... And how she held his hand even in her fever induced trance and didn't let go, Arnav remembered. How he wanted to stay there all night long, and he did, until early dawn when he found his way to his chair only so she didn't wake up and find him in that state.

He looked at her now sitting there with her face covered with her hands and her pallu. He almost laughed. Kitni paagal hai yeh ladki. Kabhi toh koi samajhdari ki kaam kiya karti. As if, hiding the world from her view would hide her from the world's view. On the bright side, his embarrassment was gone.

"Khushi" he called out audibly, "Khushi?"

She peeked through her fingers.

"Tumhari tabiyat theek hai ab?" (Are you feeling alright now?)

She nodded timidly, still apprehensive.

She looked so heart-warmingly lovely. The traces of the dream were still swirling around in Arnav's head, and it took all his strength and will power to not cross this distance in a heartbeat and reach her, and continue where they had left off. Somewhere at the back of his head, someone told him that there was some kind of reason to hate her, to stay away from her, but he couldn't remember the details anymore. Arnav rose from the chair, and elsewhere in the galaxy, a busy pixie synchronized their heartbeats. Arnav took each step with each heartbeat, as Khushi waited. Waited with trembling hands and a fluttering heart, as Arnav took another step.

NB: One of the lines in italics, was taken form a sing lyrics, sort of. Cheek to cheek by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Lovely song.