IPKKND OS - Beneath the stars updt chap 04(16/08) - Page 2

Very Beautifully written 😊 Pl continue

Wonderful Update...waiting for next part...😊

So I'm back again... with yet another update.

This one's a mite short, but bear with me for now, I'll be back with another update soon

Thank you all so much for all the comments and encouragement... it helps me write faster and better updates! So if you want to read more, write to me more... 😆 he he... jus kidding! But seriosuly, hearing from you guys helps me a lot. Thank you so much.

And so, here's chapter 03. Oh and promise, you'll come to know about the details of Arnav's surprise for his wife soon... stay tuned!

Beneath the stars - Chapter 03

Arnav POV - blue

Khushi POV - pink

Hindi to English translations are in green... So if you understand hindi, more importantly, my hindi, feel free to skip anything in green 😆

Once again the ever imperturbable Aman was on the phone with him. And Arnavji was stalking around the spare bedroom like an irritated panther, issuing commands into thin air with the ever present blue tooth headset stuck in one ear.

Arnav and Khushi's room was off limits for the day as the broken bed was being fixed and Arnav had taken his trusty laptop and settled down to work in one of the spare bedrooms at Shantivan, which was where his wife had found him after a pretty exhaustive search.

'Hai Devi Maiyya!... Is this man married to me or to his laptop, blue tooth and Amanji? Yahaan hum hain ki itni badi museebat mein phase hue hain aur ye hain ki bus bole hi jaa rahe hain, bole hi jaa rahe hain. Kya inko kaam ke alaawa kuch dikhaayi hi nahin deta?'

[Oh Devi Maiyya! Is this man married to me or to his laptop, blue tooth and Amanji? Here I am, in such big trouble and he just keeps on talking into that dratted headset! Doesn't he see anything other than his work?]

Even in her nervous and slightly irritated state, Khushi couldn't help but notice just how handsome her husband was... or rather, just how handsome her supposed husband was. Because that was just what he was... supposedly. The light blue shirt he'd teamed up with his usual waistcoat today, brought out the healthy bronze of his skin and made his chocolate eyes look even darker in comparison. And then there was the impeccably gelled hair... even when Arnav Singh Raizada spent a day at home, he looked nothing short of perfect.

Khushi shook her head, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she caught herself fairly gawking at her own husband. And that thought brought her back to the present, where Arnavji was still speaking into mid air, but with a faintly irritated frown adorning his face. Trying to get past the fact that the frown only served to make him look even... could she say it?... sexier, Khushi pushed that not so errant thought out of her mind forcibly before she stepped in front of Arnav, making him acknowledge her presence.

Nodding at her however, the man had the gall to continue talking to his real wife, while Khushi stood in front of him in all her 5 foot 3 inch glory. She was almost tempted to yank the godforsaken gadget out of his ear and throw it into the pool conveniently placed just five feet to her left, but controlled her impulse at the last moment, knowing what she had to discuss with Arnavji, was a lot more important that the stupid fight that would result from her impulsive actions. So taking a deep breath, Khushi focused on calming herself down, her eyes falling closed in the process.

It was this action of hers that brought her to his attention. It was Arnav's guilty secret that he loved watching his wife's exceptionally expressive hazel orbs all the time. Every time she shut her eyes, he felt like she'd snatched something away from him. Most of the times, he riled her up unnecessarily, just to watch her eyes go stormy with feelings that could be mistaken for passion of the physical kind. It was the only time Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada went all out with her emotions around him, her stubborn, passionate nature not allowing her to back down from any challenge he threw down in front of her.

One more thing he loved about his wife was her penchant for blushing prettily all the time. And he wasn't kidding when he said all the time. Being the innocent she was, Khushi had this amazing capability to flush red at the drop of a hat, an ability that still managed to awe him with it's promptness. Every time he made even a mildly suggestive comment or gesture towards her, even in the privacy of their own room, with no one else to witness anything, she would blush like a tomato, fascinating him even further.

Of course, it also worried him, when he thought about his prospects of ever making their relationship a real one. Because come on... if she blushed so hard for something as commonplace as a mildly suggestive comment from her husband, how would she stop herself from spontaneously combusting in embarrassment when she found out just what had to be done to consummate their relationship? More importantly, how would he stop her from dying of embarrassment before he made her his wife in every way?

It was with these thoughts flooding his mind that Arnav Singh Raizada absently told his trusty manager that he'd call him later. Disconnecting his headset, he took a step towards his wife, who was standing in the middle of the room, her eyes shut tight, her chest rising and falling rhythmically as she tried to keep her breathing slow and measured, and her temptingly pink lips moving silently as she mumbled something to herself, mostly some prayer to her Devi Maiyya, completely unaware of the fact that with just a bunch of nervous words, she would be changing the face of their relationship in under a minute.

Khushi felt the room go oddly silent a few seconds after she shut her eyes, trying to breathe in and out in a regulated manner to calm her down. As it was, whatever she had to discuss with her work obsessed husband was in itself a very embarrassing topic, and one she wouldn't even venture into had the strict and dictatorial Dadi not been at Shantivan. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Khushi squinted through one half open eye, checking the room to see if Arnavji had left, while still on the phone.

What she saw instead, had her second eye falling open, both of them going wide in surprise. She'd never thought she would ever see Arnav Singh Raizada with that sort of a tender, almost indulgent expression on his face. That too, never when he was looking at her. Di maybe, but never at her... at least not to her knowledge, she corrected herself. The chocolate brown eyes were shimmering with hidden depths, the emotions that never surfaced in them being given full and free reign. It made Khushi extremely tempted to just drown in his eyes, but alas!... that bone melting expression in them was scrambling her brain cells and making her forget her name, much less what she'd come to discuss with him.

Mentally slapping herself hard, Khushi shook her head, trying to get her thoughts in order. Thoughts of what she had come upstairs to talk to him about came back to her with a vengeance and Khushi found herself struggling to remain calm, as the enormity of their mistake came to the forefront of her mind again.

Arnav, the man who never thought he would smile at the childish antics of one Miss Khushi Kumari Gupta, found himself enjoying her behavior now, as Khushi Singh Raizada. She had managed to change him so much in the time she'd known him, but herself had changed little. She still managed to retain the childlike innocence, the utter happiness that resided in her soul and the strength of conviction that set her apart from every other woman he'd ever met in his life. Arnav Singh Raizada was one of a kind, and his wife seemed to be carrying on his tradition by being as unique as she could.

He'd seen her checking if he'd actually left the room because he'd fallen silent so abruptly. But when her eyes met his, Arnav knew that she'd seen something in his, that she might've never seen before. Before the kidnapping, he might very well have felt the same emotions, even let them out for a brief period of time, but he would've never let them linger in his expression or in his eyes once he came to know that Khushi was aware of them. If it wasn't the distrust, it was his nature, rebelling against giving anyone anything that they could possibly use against him at a later date.

But now, with everything they'd been through and everything they knew they felt for each other, Arnav found no trouble letting her see what he felt. He's already let her into his heart... how did it matter that she saw what was in it? But now, in her ever expressive eyes, he could see that there was something that bothered her.

"Khushi... Kya hua? Tum theek ho?"

[Khushi... What happened? Are you alright?]

"Hu.. hum theek nahin hai Arnavji... hum theek kaise ho sakte hain? Hum dono pati patni ki tarah reh rahe hain..."

[I.. I am not alright Arnavji. How can I be? The two of us are living like a married couple.]

Okay... now he was officially lost. Arnav had no idea what this conversation was about or where it was going

"To?... Hum pati patni hain... you're my wife"

[So what?... We are married. You're my wife]

"Wohi to... hum pati patni nahin hain. At least poore nahin hain. Humne woh ek bhi reeti riwaaz nahin nibhaayi jo saari shaadiyon mein karte hain. Itne saare riwaaz hote hain shaadi mein aur humne un me se ek bhi nahin kii apni shaadi mein. Phere tak nahin hue Arnavji... aur pheron ke bina koi shaadi poori kaise ho sakti hai?"

[That's it. We're not husband and wife. At least not in the traditional sense... We haven't gone through even one of the rites and rituals associated with every wedding ceremony. There are so many rituals involved in a wedding and not even one of those was a part of ours. We didn't even go round the sacred fire!... and how can a wedding ceremony be complete without that?]

"Khushi... you know I don't believe in these things. These rites and rituals, these mantras and pheres... they don't matter to me. You'r-"

"Par humare liye to farak padta hain na Arnavji. Aur bus humare liye nahin. Poore parivar ke liye ye sab maine rakhti hain. Aur koi bhi insaan hum dono ko shaadi shuda nahin maanega jab unhe pataa chalega ki humari shaadi kaise aur kis haalath mein hui thi"

[But it matters to me. And not just to me... it matters to all our family members. And anyone who came to know of how and in what circumstances our wedding ceremony happened, would never consider us properly married]

Khushi's emotions got the better of her by the time she was done, and without even looking up at him, she turned on her heel, running out of the room.

"Khushi!... Khu-"

Arnav reacted as soon as he could, but even his long strides couldn't get him to the door fast enough to catch sight of her. When he strode out of the room into the corridor, it was empty of everyone except a smirking Dadi, who looked as if she wanted to say 'I told you so'. From her expression, it was clear she'd seen the teary eyes Khushi run out of the room, but Arnav still wasn't sure just how much she'd heard of their conversation and he wasn't about to waste precious time talking to her about the specifics of it. He had an emotional errant wife to find and a huge surprise to organize, while making sure of the fact that the errant wife in question didn't come to know of it before everything was ready for her.


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It was only after I finished the color blocking that I realized, I write an awful lot in Arnav's POV... in fact, most of my ArHi stories are from his POV... hmmm. That's given me something to think about.

And while I am involved in my thoughts and trying to squeeze another update out of my brain, enjoy reading and plz don't forget to comment 😊

Hugs,

Genie

P.S. I just had to add this.

Loooved tonight's episode. ❤️

Hated Dadi😡

Got creeped out by Snakewa 🤬

Drooled over ASR 😍☺️

Loved Khushi 👏

And totally adored the confession ⭐️

Hum bhi aapse I love you dammit... classic IPKKND. Keep it up guys... can't wait for more.


Chapter 04 is here

Loved the update , greedy for more and soon . It was awesome , loved it damnit,! Thanks for the pm

Awsome and wonderful Update...Loved the chapter...Thanks for the PM...😊

Hello there!

Aaannnd I am back with one more chapter.

Thanks to all my readers, reviewers, likers and commentors. I love you all ❤️

And so without further ado, here's

Beneath the stars - Chapter 04

Hindi translation in Green as usual and anyone who can read Hinglish is welcome to ignore anything that color.

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"Hari Prakash! Where the hell is that... Hari Prakash!"

Arnav Singh Raizada was irritated... it was a near perpetual state of emotions for this man and had long since ceased to be something that moved the pretty much imperturbable bunch of Prakashs that served the Raizadas. It seemed to be the one quality that was common to people that had worked for and around Arnav Singh Raizada for any time period longer than two weeks.

Anyone who could stand his volatile temper and punishing work schedule, had to be stoic and blessed with the sensitivity of an elephant. It was the main reason why the mysterious but ever present and industrious Aman was Arnav's right hand man. It was also why Hari, Om and Jai, the Prakash brothers had been with the Raizadas for so long... almost seven years now.

They'd been hand picked by a seventeen year old Arnav, who they'd then thought was probably the most self-centered and spoilt child, with impossible delusions of grandeur. But they'd showed up to work, hoping that this might be a genuine opportunity for them to earn some money. Even on the first day, their illusions had been shattered by a sharp, opinionated and decisive boss in the form of the seventeen year old young man, who'd also shown them an unexpectedly generous side at times. Slowly, they'd come to know of the family's circumstances, learned bits and pieces of their background, understood why Arnav Singh Raizada was the man he was, and decided that for as long as they lived, they wouldn't work for another family.

Arnav babu might yell at them, threaten to fire them at the drop of a hat, throw things around when he was angry or frustrated and treat them sometimes like automatons that were around for his sake alone, but they knew that beneath that tough exterior, beat a heart that had been broken and re-built so many times that it had formed a hardened shell around itself. Arnav was a tough boss to work for, but once you had proved your worth to him, there could be no other boss who you would want to work under. the Prakashs were very happy at Shantivan and would never even think of leaving the employ of the Raizadas. They were a part of the family now, playing their part in the happiness and sorrow of the family.

They'd despaired for their Arnav babu ever finding a woman who would not only be his equal, but who would also deserve the oft broken but priceless heart that resided inside their Arnav babu's chest. Someone who would not only understand him for who he was and not try to change him, but also someone who would bring happiness and laughter back into his bleak life. There had been that short clothes wearing Lavanya madam from office, but even at first glance, it was obvious that she wasn't the right one for him. They'd heaved a sigh of relief when Arnav himself had recognized that.

But Khushiji... now that had come as a surprise. But the most pleasant one nonetheless. She wasn't someone you could consider when you thought of ASR, but at second glance, and a third thought, you began to see just how perfect she was for him. Before long, the Prakashs were completely convinced that Khushi bhabhi was the one for their Arnav babu and even if everything wasn't alright between them, something that should've been obvious to the others in the family, they knew that one day, things would improve and when they did, no one would be happier than Arnav and Khushi.

When Arnav babu had been kidnapped, they'd seen how Khushi bhabhi had left no stone unturned and made sure she got Arnav babu back home to Shantivan. While the fiasco with Shyam babu had left the Prakash brothers gaping, there wasn't a second that they didn't believe what Khushi said. The reason was simple... Khushi bhabhi simply didn't know how to lie. She'd never been able to lie convincingly and she never would. Anyone who knew her even just a bit, would be able to tell you that Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada didn't have even a single mean or unscrupulous bone in her body. That she would plot with someone to steal away someone else's happiness was unthinkable.

So it was with gladness in their heart that they watched Arnav babu stand by his wife and throw out the troublemaker. They obviously felt bad for Anjali didi, but she was far better off without the man than she was with him around. Being long time residents of Shantivan, they could tell you a lot about each and every one of the family members, both old and new.

For instance, no one knew other than the Prakash brothers that Akash had gone around with the same hanky in his pocket for about two months because it was one he'd given to Payalji, a couple of months before their marriage was proposed. Hari Prakash could tell you that Naniji would always look at a picture of the old family that she kept hidden in her bedside table, before going to bed every night. The three of them knew it was a photograph, but they'd never seen it, knowing that it would be invading Naniji's privacy to do so.

Om Prakash could tell you that Mamiji almost always went to sleep with some or the other face pack on... and the fact that it was quite a gruesome sight to walk in on. They could tell you that Arnav had talked in his sleep for quite some time when he was younger and he still did it rarely, especially when he was extremely tired or lost. It had happened when Khushi bhabhi had left Shantivan to go to her Buaji's house, but not since then.

There were a lot of things the Prakash brothers knew about the Raizadas. But the one fact that pleased them endlessly nowadays was the clear and obvious closeness that had developed between Arnav babu and Khushi bhabhi. Right at the moment, Hari Prakash knew just what Arnav needed him for and hurried to comply to the summons. But in a slightly cheeky mood due to his pleasant contemplations regarding Arnav and Khushi, instead of asking Arnav what he wanted, Hari Prakash decided to get in his own little dig at Arnav's new obsessive husband mode.

"Hari Prakash!..."

"Khushi bhabhi kuch der se kitchen mein hain Arnav babu..."

[Khushi has been in the kitchen for some time Arnav sir]

The smirk that was carefully wiped off his face, was nevertheless present in his tone.

"What the..."

It was getting more and more difficult to keep himself from smirking victoriously at his boss... especially given the expression that graced his face at the moment. But then Arnav did something that even Hari Prakash, the seasoned expert on the various moods of Arnav Singh Raizada, couldn't have predicted. He smiled.

Given, it was a half smile, but a smile nevertheless. A rare sight, especially when it came on the heels of some impertinence directed at Arnav. It seemed as if Khushi bhabhi had managed to change him more than previously thought.

"Do me a favor... keep her there for the rest of the day. Use mere... humare room mein aane mat dena. Okay?"

[Do me a favor... keep her there for the rest of the day. Don't let her come into my... our room. Okay?]

At receiving a slightly dazed look and nod from the older man, he'd shaken his head and walked away still smiling, leaving behind a slightly stunned Hari Prakash.

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It turned out that Hari Prakash didn't need to do anything to keep her in the kitchen. Khushi seemed set to spend another day making batch after batch of jalebis. By now, the family knew enough to leave her alone when she started to make jalebis. They'd all eaten so many of her jalebis in the last six months that Mamiji had started to really detest Khushi for completely destroying her diet, Naniji, Akash and Mamaji ran the other way whenever they saw Khushi coming toward them with a plate filled with the yellow orange roundels, Payal had completely gotten fed up with her sister and even Lakshmi had started walking away at the sight of the sweet. The only good thing that came out of it was perhaps the fact that all temples, old age homes and orphanages in the vicinity of Shantivan had a readymade supply of jalebis available most of the time.

It was only Arnav who hadn't reacted too much to this situation because his jalebis were always specially prepared by Khushi, made sugar free but delicious. Since he didn't indulge in them very frequently, he was always happy to have them whenever she made them for him.

The family members thought, knew that they couldn't eat all that she made and she wouldn't stop making them till she felt better. And with the things that happened to Khushi, pretty much everyone knew that she wouldn't stop making them anytime soon. Without too much to do, Hari Prakash had just settled down to keeping an eye on her while he completed his other chores, updating his brothers on the situation and Arnav babu's orders... err favor.

Upstairs, Arnav Singh Raizada was busy ordering around workers who were already working the fastest they could. He'd always been a very decisive person, always sure of himself and the decisions he made. But today, somehow, there was this slightly uncomfortable feeling in his gut, which he was surprised to recognize as being nervousness. This was one of the few occasions in his life where he'd done something entirely for someone else's happiness and he was feeling nervous about Khushi liking what he was doing for her... for them.

There were so many things to be done, details to be taken care of, and since he'd decided that it would be as much of a surprise to his family as his wife, he couldn't even depend on Akash or NK to be there to follow his orders... err to help. At least he didn't have to worry about Khushi walking in while things were still not ready. She was definitely not in a good mood when she'd left him in the spare bedroom, so she'd probably be busy pretty much the whole day making mountains of jalebis... and a whole bowlful of sugar free ones for him. A slight smile lighting up his face at that thought, Arnav walked out of his room, running bang into the one person he really hadn't wanted to meet at the moment... or ever.

"Dadi... aap yahaan? Aapko kuch chahiye?"

[Dadi... you here?... Did you need something?]

"Haan Arnav... humein kuch jawab chahiye. Aap se us ladki ke baare mein kuch sawal poochne hain"

[Yes Arnav... I need some answers. I need to ask you some questions about that girl]

Dadi's voice carried ominous weight, as if she was getting ready for a long and hard fought battle. Arnav's senses tingled as he felt his muscles tightening, as if readying for a physical response to her verbal assault

"Us ladki ka koi naam hai dadi... Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. Aap Khushi ke baar mein agar kuch baat karna chaahti hain, to aapko use utna hi respect dena hoga jitna aap is ghar ke doosre sadasyon ko deti hain" he growled

[That girl has a name Dadi.. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. If you want to speak about her, you'll have to afford her the same respect you give the others in the family]

"Arnav! Aap jaante bhi hain ki aap kya bole jaa rahe hain?"

[Arnav! Do you even know what you're saying?]

He knew she was a bit taken aback, even though she didn't show it... she was a Malik after all, wasn't she?

"Bilkul dadi. Mein Arnav Singh Raizada hoon.. aur mein kabhi bhi aisa kuch nahin kehta jise main maanta nahin hoon. I always stand by what I say Dadi. Ab aapko Khushi ke baare mein baat karni hai to kijiye... nahin to mujhe aaj bohot kaam hai"

[Of course Dadi. I am Arnav Singh Raizada... and I never say anything I don't mean. I always stand by what I say dadi. Now, if you want to speak to me about Khushi, please say whatever it is you want to... otherwise I have a lot of work that needs to get done]

Again, it hit what Arnav knew to be a sore spot for the older woman, but he wasn't in the mood to draw this out and be polite. She was trying to hurt him and his Khushi and there was no way Arnav was going to stand back and let her do the damage.

"Theek hai. Agar aap apni zindagi ke saare faisle galat lene par tule hue hain to hum isme aapki koi madad nahin kar sakte. Par hum aapse aaj ye kehna chaahenge... Woh ladki is ghar ki bahu banne ke layak nahin hai. Aur hum use is ghar ki bahu ka darjaa kabhi nahin denge"

[Okay. If you're bent on making the wrong decisions, I cannot help you anymore. But I will tell you this... That girl is not worthy of being the daughter-in-law of this house and I will never treat her so]

Arnav, who'd been oddly happy since the morning, felt his temper rise to uncharted heights once again. It seemed as if Dadi knew just what buttons to press to make Arnav Singh Raizada lose any measure of control he had remaining. Just about to lose it, Arnav had already opened his mouth to blast his Dadi into the stratosphere, when he heard Khushi's happy voice filtering up to him from the kitchen, calling Hari Prakash. Keeping her smiling, beautiful face in his mind, Arnav forcibly tamped down his anger, knowing that yelling at Dadi would not only not achieve anything, but might also worsen the situation.

With clenched fists and teeth, Arnav managed to grit out to the older lady in front of him

"Dadi... it doesn't matter to me whether you consider Khushi as this house's bahu or not. Mujhe is se koi farak nahin padta. Khushi is my wife and I don't need anyone else to certify that. Jo bhi hai, Khushi aur mere beech mein hai. No one else needs to interfere or pass judgement on the two of us. Aur ek baat aap bhi sun lijiye Dadi. Agar aapne kisi bhi wajah se Khushi ko hurt kiya, to mere paas aap ke liye jo koi bhi respect bacha hai, woh bhi kho doonga."

[Dadi... it doesn't matter to me whether you consider Khushi this house's bahu or not. It's not going to change anything for me. Khushi is my wife and I don't need anyone else to certify that. Whatever is there, is between me and Khushi. No one else needs to interfere or pass judgement on the two of us. And one more thing Dadi... If, for any reason you try to hurt Khushi, I will lose whatever respect for you I have left]

"Arnav! Aap hume aise dhumkaa nahin sakte"

[Arnav! You can't threaten me like this]

"It is not a threat Dadi... it's a promise. No one hurts my Khushi... No. One."

With that, he walked off, before his Dadi could say something else to incense him further, his hand up in the air, palm facing her in a rather cruel parody of her own patented gesture of arrogance. But Arnav was beyond angry at the moment and didn't care even if he had openly insulted a senior member of his already small family. He knew that he would have to find some way to bring himself back in control... and fast. But even his usual cool down techniques didn't work nowadays... only one thing did. He desperately needed a dose of Khushi. And he knew just where to get this medicine.

Going down the stairs at a fast pace, with a slight smile etched on his face at the thought of his wife, Arnav didn't notice Dadi looking down at him from the upper floor, an almost calculative look on her face.

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Okay... another chapter, done.

Hmmm... At this point, even I don't know what is gonna come outta my mind for the next chappie...

So stay tuned and we'll see soon... hopefully.

Plz don't forget to review your thoughts and ideas

Hugs,

Genie

****UNRES****

Just read all of it in one go..it is extremely well written..would love to read more..

Originally posted by: SanjArShi-ASR

****UNRES****

yayyy me frist one to comment😛

Awsome Update...

Arnav Khushi ke liye kuch suprise plan karna chahta hau ki woh Hariprakash se khushi ko kichen me Busy rakna chahta hai...
are ye dadi ki problem kya hai...woh khushi se itni nafrat karti hai ki uska naam bhi nahi le rahi...

par apna arnav usne Khushi ki side li..loved him...

loved the Update...😊

Thanks...

Sanjeevani😊

Loved the fact that you reserved your place to comment on my fic... like I was one of those awesome authors that people compete to comment first on. That one gesture from you made not just my day, but my whole week...

Thank you Sanjeevani ❤️

🤗

Genie

Originally posted by: peepli

Just read all of it in one go..it is extremely well written..would love to read more..

Thanks for the review and encouragement. 😃

Have buddied you, will PM from next chappie on...

Cheers!

Genie