Burning in your Love (Parts 14 to 19)

Part 14: MEHENDI: Section 2: Dinner for Two

(All pics credited to uploaders)

Khushi ran out of the room as soon as Arnav left, making a beeline for the kitchen. To the amusement of Buaji, Amma, & Payal, she started making huge mountains of hot, juicy jalebis. As she made coils and coils of the batter in hot oil, her mind lingered on the many liberties he had taken with her over the last couple of days. Khadoos and stern to the outside world, sweet, silent, and shy to her family, reserved and responsible to his family, and...and seductive and wicked to her. So wicked that she was in danger of dying of a heart attack at the tender age of 18. A thought made her swirl the batter faster. If he was so evil before marriage, what would he do to her after marriage? He Devi Maiyya! Sunday night... his comment began to take on sinister meanings. Laad Governor Kahin Ka! He could scare and thrill her even though he was miles away!

She carried huge plates of jalebis to Happyji and other neighbours, and filled many of Buaji's tins with them. They could be served to the guests in the evening. She went to her room and flung herself on her bed. Something poked her in the tummy. It was the packet that Di had sent her. She started taking off the wrapping to look at its contents. Payal came to join her.

Inside was a green sari. Her hands shook as they touched it. The same colour as the sari she had worn for Jiji's sangeet, when Arnavji had joined her on the stage to dance to the Teri Meri song. It had a silver and red border and some silver flowers and beads attached to the pallu. She shook the blouse to unfold it. It had sleeves up to her elbows, crafted in a transparent green material with silver spots. The neck was too low, lower than what she normally wore. Khushi and Payal enjoyed looking at the jewellery in silver, studded with pearls and stones. She picked up the phone to thank Di, a smile on her lips. She would wear it for Mehendi today.

"Khushi Bitiyaa is a very lucky girl.", commented Vimala aunty. "Her groom is so good looking."

"And so well-behaved.", added Pushpa Maasi.

"He is so kind. Would any other damad have permitted us to use this house for Preeto's wedding while he was staying here? The noise, the lack of space, the work to be done, the naughty children, all the neighbours asking him to repair their faulty fans and radios!", added Nandini.

Anjali dropped the book of mehendi designs that she had been going through in shock.

Nani looked at Anjali, unable to believe her ears. She whispered to Anjali, "They are talking about Arnav Bitwaa, aren't they? Or is it Preeto's husband?"

Anjali replied, "It must be Preeto's husband. It can't be Chotey!"

Nikhil's mother said, "The children like him so much. Nikhil was asking me when he would come here again so that they can play cricket with him."

Mami choked, the water she had been sipping going the wrong way. When she could breathe, she asked, "Ekskjuus me pleez, are you taking abaaut our Arnav Bitwaa?"

"Haan, Madhumatiji's damad, Khushi's pati..."

Anjali, Mami, and Nani looked at each other.

Sarita's mother said, "He is so adjusting! If it were my husband ... Uff...The fuss he creates when we go to my house..." Other ladies nodded in agreement. "Arnav Beta didn't mind bathing in public at the tube well when the water in the tap dried up. And he is so polite to Sashiji, Madhumatiji, & Garima! I even saw him push Sashiji in the wheelchair to the park! What a boy!"

"Hello Hi Bye Bye, Ee Kaa Magic Hui Gawaa? Hamre Arnav Bitwaa Kahan Gum Hui Gawaa?"

Anjali asked Nani to pinch her to prove that she was not dreaming. Nani pinched her hard. Mami pinched Nani, and Anjali pinched Mami.

In the midst of this pinching marathon, Buaji came bustling to them with the mehendi ladies in tow. Amma & Buaji served the ladies sweets and beverages as all of them, especially Khushi, Payal, and their young friends, searched for attractive patterns in the books provided.

Hours passed in laughter and masti. Buaji narrated amusing incidents of her youth when she had been a slender beauty and the boys of her mohalla had hung from trees just to catch a glimpse of her. Nani matched it with romantic tales of Nanaji, who from all accounts had been something of a threat to Naniji's heart as Arnavji was to hers. Mami talked of how Mamaji had courted her with lipshtik, peda, and colourful chudi. The house resounded with good-natured laughter, girls taunting Khushi with the fate of Salman Khan now that she was giving herself to Arnavji, and ladies laughing at Khushi's fate once her Arnavji got hold of her. Khushi blushed and blushed, her mind and thoughts totally fixed on the one man for her, the lion who was sitting through meeting after meeting, and glancing at his watch surreptitiously. Lunch for him was sketchy, eaten while going through a document with Akash. A coffee in between kept him going. He counted the hours when he could leave his building and go home to Khushi.

She asked the lady applying mehendi to write Arnavji rather than just the letter A in the mehendi. She hoped it would stay on her hand without fading for a long time.

Savita aunty teased her, "If the mehendi comes out in dark colour, it means that your husband loves you a lot. Do you think your mehendi will be dark red, Khushi?"

Anjali kissed Khushi's cheek, and said, "She is Chotey's life. She will have the darkest mehendi among us."

Buaji added, "Haan, Anjali Bitiyaa. Damadji loves her so much. And understands her so well. May their jodi remain safe from evil eyes!"

Akash and Arnav walked in to Buaji's house, weary, at 9 at night. They had come there directly from the office. Many of the ladies had left, but a few guests still remained. A few families and children were dropping in to enquire if Buaji needed any help for the wedding. Seeing Arnav and Akash, Buaji and Amma left the guests and came to the door to escort them in. Akash went in search of Payal after greeting them.

Buaji clucked in concern at Arnav's air of fatigue. She put an arm on his shoulder, and said,

"Bitwaa, go and sit in Khushi's bedroom. She is there with hands and legs full of mehendi. Rest there. I will bring ginger tea now, and send dinner for both of you with Payaliya. Don't come out till all the guests go."

Arnav was only too glad to oblige. He walked into the room that he had shared with Khushi for a week.

Khushi was sitting, her legs stretched out on the bed, her new green sari raised to her knees so that the mehendi on her legs would not be smudged.Her elbows rested on a pillow kept in her lap, her hands held outstretched to let the mehendi dry completely.

She looked up when she heard someone at the door, and saw Arnavji. The look of intense happiness on her face wiped out all traces of his tiredness. She squirmed as his eyes lingered on her exposed legs, but there was nothing she could do. She blushed. She looked beautiful, bewitching. The green colour of her sari reminded him of dancing with her to Teri Meri.

He came in, dragged his coat and jacket off, and sat beside her on the bed. Buaji came in with two cups of ginger tea, handed one to Arnav and set the other beside Khushi. Payal followed with dinner, food for both of them piled in a single plate. They shut the door as they left, Buaji asking them both to rest.

Khushi looked at her tea, and she looked at her mehendi. She scowled at her greenish brown hands while Arnav sipped his tea, hiding a smile behind the cup. Once he finished his tea, he got up from bed, and slowly sat down behind her, pulling her by her shoulders to sit with her back against his chest. He raised the cup to her lips, letting her sip the refreshing liquid. Like he had given her water on Teej at the temple.

Once she was done with tea, he took the plate of food and started feeding her. As he took the first morsel to her mouth, she asked him, "Arnavji, did you have dinner?"

"No."

"Then we will share. You take the first bite and give me the next one."

Khushi ate off his hands with a total lack of self consciousness. She chatted on and on about the mehendi function, the guests who had come, the teasing she had had to endure... Seeing a bit of aloo sabzi stuck to his finger, she leaned forward and sucked it clean. She did not notice Arnav going still. She kept on talking and eating.

Soon she noticed that Arnav was not giving her any roti. It was always a finger dipped in some spicy mixture or pickle. She couldn't bite it. She could only lick it. She tried to turn around to ask him why this was so, but he held her left shoulder so firmly that she couldn't turn. Khushi looked at his finger held in line with her lips. She slowly opened her mouth, enclosed his finger in the warm cavern, and bit him lightly.

"Ouch!", he said. And smiled his evil smile. This was one debt he would enjoy repaying.

"Khushi Kumaari Guptaaa Singh Raizadaaa, have you got an A on your hand?", asked the enticing Rajkumar a while later.

She hid her hands away from his sight. "That is for me to know, and for you to find out... on Sunday."

"You can be sure I will...find out...that and more...on Sunday night.", he murmured in to her ear.

Wind blew a few strands of her loose hair on to her face. She tried to push them off her face using her shoulder, but Arnav stopped her. He smoothed her hair away from her face, enjoying every moment of it, enjoying the helpless reaction of Khushi to his touch. She could feel his heart beating fast against her back.

He got a comb from her dressing table, and resuming his old position, began to comb her hair. The comb slipped easily through her silky hair, his hands touched and fondled the tresses as he wished. Even after much effort and many trials, he deliberately failed to get a hairband around her hair. Because he did not want to imprison it. Khushi, imagining that he had failed, had a good laugh at his expense. After all, he was the Arnav Singh Raizada who could do anything!

"Khushi, where would you like to go for a honeymoon?"

Khushi thought long and hard.

"Paris? New York? Maldives?", he asked.

She said in a low voice, "Can we go to Nainital? Last time we didn't get there.", she pouted. "I would like to see the snow, the white one. And meet Uncle and Aunty at the dhabba."

Arnav laughed and laughed till he could laugh no more.

"I will take you to Nainital. But I can't promise to show you snow."

"Why not? Is this the wrong season for snow?"

"You will be otherwise...busy...You won't have the time or the energy to enjoy snow.", said Arnav mildly.

Khushi blushed.

"Khushi. Be ready to go out with me tomorrow night. I will call & let you know the time."

He kissed her cheek and got up to leave.

At the door, he turned, a smirk on his lips. "By the way, you have beautiful legs."

Part 15: Section 1: Stolen Moments

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/2951296/burning-in-your-love-parts-14-to-19?pn=24

res yay...yes yes yes...im the first one...woo...i cant believe it actually...i was waiting for your update ... and the update...as always i have shortage of words to explain how i feel...

me loves d update Muaaahhh...

Res

haaayeee
that was awesome
waiting to see what khusi answers

Good story. really liking the different rituals with Arnav and Khushi's remarriage. Hope the creatives do justice to Arnav and Khushi's remarriage later on in the show.