A PROMISE : PART 9 complete - Page 9

Arnav: hi!

Khushi: why aren't you in bed yet? You haven't slept at all last night. You need to rest and take care of yourself. All these office work, then home with the laptop and then wedding rituals. You need to take better care of yourself.

Arnav: nah.

Khushi: NAH? What do you mean nah?

Arnav: no

Khushi: NO?

what are you talking of? Please Arnav Ji! Listen to me. If you are not well, who will look after Di? She needs you to be healthy and well right? Also there are more festivities coming up. So you need to rest. Can you not tell Aman ji or Akash Jijaji to do some work? I mean share some work so you can be a less involved.

You do not even seem to get time to sleep.

Arnav: NO way.

Khushi: Arnav ji! Are you even listening?

For the last 40 minutes only answers you are giving is no, no way, never, I don't think so. Nah, No, nothing, not kidding, nope, don't know, umm..hooo' and so on. Are you sure you are ok?

Arnav: umm. Nope.

Khushi: Arnav ji! Please, is everything alright? I mean, are you feeling bad? Is it stress or diabetics? When was the last time you ate?

Arnav: Don't know.

Khushi: ok, I am really getting tensed. Are you sure you are ok? STOP do not answer again as "NO". I am going to hang up and call JiJi, she will call the doctor or tell Di. You are acting weird. There must be something very wrong. Is it office work did Aman ji mess up ? or did he hand you a lot of documents to read? I should have known. Or do you have to go to any tours?

Arnav: no.

Khushi: Ummm . Arnav ji! I am hanging up. Ok?

Arnav:' '..( silence)

Khushi: ! I am hanging up. Ok?

(Silence '''''.)

Khushi: Arnav ji! Please. Now you are not even speaking. Please. I am getting extremely tensed. Please speak.

Arnav: no.

Khushi: WHAT THE !!

Arnav:' '..( silence)

Khushi: ! I am hanging up. If you do not give me a clear answer about what is going on and you are ok or not. I am really going to hang up and call Di.

Arnav:' '..( silence)

Khushi: ( silence)

10 second passes

15'

25''

30 seconds passes

Khushi: Arnav ji! Please you know I cannot stop and just stay silent. Please speak. Anything.

Arnav:' '..( silence)

Khushi: enough , please. What is wrong? Is it me? Did I do anything? This morning, I asked you to stop, because I was..i was not..i mean..i was'.

Please Arnav ji, something happens. When you are near by and especially when you hold me like this . Something happens . You will never know what goes through me.

My world seems to tilt.

My mind seems to go blank like a black slate.

Only thing stays constant is the heart beat.

It races down my spine. Please , please, try to understand. I did not run away intentionally. I did not. PLEASE. Trust me.

I moved because, it has become an impulse reaction. My throats chokes up and I feel like I will faint. Your breath on me, wakes up all the nerves in me. I can see colors. I can feel the rain. I can breathe the sunshine. Arnav JI! I know this is not like me. I have never said these before. I have never even thought of these myself. But now, I don't know why I feel like tell you.

You mean the world to me.

The day when I knew you were in trouble, when you told me those words, over the phone was the best day of my life. Sorry, it sounds wrong. I felt elated when I heard your voice. Later I figured that you were in trouble. Because you just confessing like that, was a dream come true.

I fell for you. I do not know when, I do not know how or why?

Every time I used to go to your house, it was like a new day, a new life. Only the hope that you will come out of your room, get annoyed seeing me, tell me something I will hate to hear, actually were some of my best memories. I used to long for those. It might sound silly, but seeing you, getting near you were like dreams that only come into reality in cinemas and serials.

I couldn't believe my ears, when I heard those words form you. YOU , out of all the people will feel like that for a GIRL like me. How was it possible? I am not'.I mean'.. I am'so'.

Arnav: YOU ARE PERFECT.

Khushi: (silence''')

Arnav:' '..( silence)

Khushi: ! I am hanging up.

Without a single more word, Khushi hangs up her cell phone and disconnects. She holds the phone to her chest and hugs it like it is a portion of her beloved, in her hands. A drop of tear falls directly on the screen. The name "ARNAV'JI" becomes a bit blurry and wet.

She sighs. No matter how much she loves him, this is the first time she has told him this much. There are so much to say, so much to explain, before both will understand what went down, how they fell, what they felt for each other. But with the wedding, the drama with Shyam and Dadi in the scene. Those chapters have been locked and quietly collecting dust.

Khushi closes her eyes and another drop lands on the phone.

She sniffs and picks her dupatta border to wipe the phone clear. She wipes it dry and kisses on the screen, where she has a picture of ARNAV as a back splash. She switches the screen saver and back ground on when no one is around and no one can see her phone except her. These are pictures of him, working, sleeping, smiling, eating, going through his clothes, looking at the pool side. Her favorite one, that always brings a smile on her face, is set as a background for lock screen. She looks at the picture and smiles. The tear filled eyes get some sparkle.

She stands on her stool, in front of the mirror in the dressing table. Looks at her reflection on the mirror and then looks down at the phone.

She whispers:

I love you. I really, really love you. I can do whatever it takes just to make you smile. Wish you knew. Wish I could tell you how I feel. This morning, when you wanted to kiss me. I shivered and as usual I ran away. It was not that I do not want it. It is just that, it gets too much to handle. You should understand.

You need to understand. I love you more than I love myself. I love anyone else. The day I saw you safe, after the kidnapping. My life came back to me.

No matter what you say, what you think, nothing can steer me away from you. I can be restless, stupid, dumb, nave but I'..I'

Her voice chokes up with emotions. She starts to nod her head and shed a few more tears. She draws her dupatta on her face and drowns in her sadness.

A sound.

A sound of glass.

Then another followed by a crack on the window handle.

A step.

A thud.

Then another,

A few more steps.

Khushi seats on straight. But her face remains covered by the dupatta.

He is here.

She feels him around. No matter how, when, where he might be., she feels him around. It has become a second nature to her.

Arnav:' '..( silence)

Khushi: ..sniffs'.

Arnav: ( silence0

Khushi: keeps her face under the pink dupatta, sniffs one more time and then slowly raises her eyes. looks at him and sighs.

Arnav:' '..( silence) just stays glued and '''''..Looks at her ''''''

Khushi very slowly, gets up from the stool and looks at him directly in the eyes.

Khushi: For the last one and half hour, you were here? Right? Near the window?

All this time, I requested you to sleep, rest, eat and you were just saying: NO. because you were here right?

Arnav:' '..( silence)

Khushi: you could see me, you knew I was worried. But you did not tell me anything.

You were getting amused right? It did not matter how I felt. You just kept saying no and nothing. And I kept saying 'I kept going'why do you do this?

Arnav:' '..( silence) he just stared at her with a non-readable expression, a hint of sadness, a hint of remorse, a hint of claim and with a hint of elation.

Khushi: and after all these, me crying and all'you still plan to stay quiet right?

Arnav:' '..( silence). He looks down at his wrist watch. It is 1.30 at night. He has been standing under shades, near the window and was looking at his love, in front of the window, in front of mirror. How she smiles, how she worries, how she craves for his voice and affirmation. How genuine she is at loving him. how can he make her understand that what is means to him to see her care so much?

How can he make her believe, that his silence, his arrogance, his quietness, are just an expression of what he feels. He is not vocal, he has never been and with now with all these new emotions and new revelation of feeling it is getting very hard to explain. How can he tell that, how lucky she is that at least she can talk to aloud and show. But for him it gets difficult.

He needs her.

Her wants her.

Her being around is extremely moving. How has he craved to touch that throbbing pulse near her wrist day in, day out , how the sweet smell of her shower fresh hair ignites the deepest need , how her laughter, she smile, she giggle, makes him crave to make her , his in a heart bit. How much he loves to see her move, walk , even sleep. How many night he has spent only by looking at her sleep. How peaceful she makes him feel. How can he explain?

Why can't she understand?

It will take a lifetime and more to tell her, what she means?

Khushi waits for answer and then sighs again.

Another tear rolls down the pink sheer.

She walks towards Arnav.

A step.

Then another.

Each precise, each thought of. Each resembling a reson, each measuring their relation.

She stops.

She thinks for the last time.

She proceeds.

Arnav steps back a bit. Unlike him. but yes! He does

A single step .

And she is in front.

A wrist almost touching another.

A breathe , touching another.

She closes her eyes one more time and inhales deeply.

Tip toes.

Tip toes to the max and heaves her up.

A soft browse.

Brush of her lips on ARNAV's chin. Directly on the small edge on his chin. When the day old beard marks the end.

Arnav shivers up at the expected, "UNEXPECTED".

Another soft brush.

On his chin, and then a small drag towards his lower lip.

A inch upwards.

A cold pinch runs down his back.

A blow of ice on his nape of the neck.

Khushi places a palm on his wrist and heaves herself a bit more.

Another soft brush along the chin, to the left, brushing towards the left jawline.

Arnav's world tilts.

A soft kiss on the left cheek, near the jaw line. Proceeds to the ear lobe. Marking an unclaimed territory.

Arnav's mind seems to go blank like a black slate.

A soft touch of the lips on the lower edge of the ear, just under.

Arnav's throat seems to choke up. Only thing stays constant is the heart beat.

His focus, his reality, loses it ground.

He picks her up in both arms and hugs her with all her has.

He knows that , another touch of her lips on him and he will end the torture with a spell of his one. Something that can lethal at this point. But he will be left with no choice.

So he stops her

He stops her by giving her the tightest hug.

Khushi gasps for some air and then more.

Arnav effortlessly picks up and cradles her to his chest. Smears her with himself. Seats on the bed to the right and holds her quivering figure steady within his grip. Khushi tries ot move and get herself free from the iron grip. But he overcomes her effort with ease.

Arnav:

"Shh! Khushi!

Stay quiet and stay still. You will wake up the neighborhood. And before that, you will wake up the thing inside me that has been trying its best to stay under control. Do you even have nay idea what you do to me?"

Khushi looked up at his mesmerizing eyes, trying to figure out the depth of his expression and his helplessness .

She took a brave step and it took a lot for her to break free from her shell and express her need, express her love for him.

She tried a few more time and then cave din under his hold.

She lay flat on his chest, engulfed by the deep , amazing feel of the caring arms.

Al through the night, two souls stayed glued to each other.

An arm in another

A hand in other .

An existence dwelling in an alteration.

No words were spoken, but much were told !