No! No! He stumbled back slightly, only the pressure of Anjali's hand keeping him upright. How was this possible? He had been so meticulous in contraception. He had put those chemicals in the water to destroy her reproductive system! This had to be a mistake! There was no way she was having his child! Everything, everything he had worked for was destroyed by that child growing in his wife's womb.
Just as he was about to ask if she was sure about the pregnancy, another thought entered his mind. What if...should this child be real...what if this was a blessing in disguise? A cruel smirk appeared on his face.
The reason he had gone to Lucknow was to forge documents that would transfer all of Anjali's property and money to him. What he needed now was Arnav's signature which wouldn't be hard to come by. When she died, everything would be his...
What if, in a tragic accident, both Anjali and the child died? Not only would he get every asset left to her, he could leave the house as well claiming that he couldn't stay in the same place where his wife's presence haunted him every day. Without a son-in-law, this house would be broken socially. Shyam knew that Arnav had placed half his wealth with Anjali. Perhaps he could subtly probe the man to leave all of it to her? If that happened, then the Raizada Wealth would disappear leaving them in ruins.
Plus, Khushi would leave Arnav as well when she discovered that he had no money. What woman wanted to live with a penniless man? His mother was a prime example of that.
Yes, this was the way to go. He just had to play the part of a doting father and lovable husband for some time longer. No one suspected a thing as of yet. He was fine.
The end of the Raizadas was near.
Arnav and Khushi stood shell shocked. Only one person noticed the misery that was etched on to their faces at Anjali's declaration. How was she pregnant? Hadn't Shyam tried to prevent that?
Khushi watched as Shyam's face morphed from disbelief, to anger, to...smugness? What was going on? She elbowed Arnav gently, catching his attention.
He caught hold of her hand and locked eyes with her. His eyes were filled with terror, not for himself, but for his Di, for his unborn niece or nephew. "How is this possible?" He whispered to her, the tremor in his voice not concealed from her.
Khushi was not sure how it was possible though she did have a couple theories. "Later. Not now." She whispered back, tugging him forward so they too could congratulate Di on her news.
Both tried to fake enthusiasm for this, but found it to be halfhearted. Never did they want this to happen.
"I'm so happy for you Di." Arnav said softly while hugging his sister. "For both of you." He turned to Shyam, shaking his hand. Arnav might have gripped Shyam's hand a little harder than necessary judging by the man's wince. He wanted to inflict so much more pain on him, but restrained himself.
"Chote. You're going to become a Mama, and Khushi, you will be our child's Mami!" Anjali exclaimed loudly. Anjali beamed as she saw Khushi's eyes fill with tears. Little did she know that these weren't tears of joy, but tears of sadness.
"And you will be a Mummy." Khushi touched Anjali's cheek, wiping away some tears on her sister-in-law's face. "Aur aap Papa." She addressed Shyam who smiled at her causing her to lean back into Arnav. There was something in that man's smile that sickened her.
"I can't believe it!" Shyam said. Yes, neither could Arnav or Khushi. They could understand why he was so surprised. "Papa, aur main? This is a dream come true!"
Or a nightmare. Khushi though cynically.
"Hari Prakash! Hari Prakash!" Mami called for her favorite servant. The man came bustling into the room, wondering what he could have done wrong.
"Bring the eshweets! And hurry!" He scrambled out the door to fetch the boxes of mithai that Shantivan kept for all occasions.
All the women in the family took turns feeding both Anjali and Shyam ladoos. Khushi bit back shouting when she saw Shyam's mouth linger over Payal's hand for a little longer than necessary. Even Payal looked a little shocked and hurried back to Akaash's side immediately while exchanging a confused glance with Khushi.
"This is wonderful news Anjali Bitiyaan! We must celebrate!" Nani clapped her hands together in joy. She was actually going to get a great-grandchild! Maybe now her other two grandchildren would take the hint and give Anjali's child some cousins.
***
When all of them were settled at the dinner table, Khushi decided that she needed some answers.
"So Di, how far along are you?"
'
Anjali's smile could have lit up thousands of Diwali lights. "Just four weeks. Dr. Modi did a urine test on me as well as a blood test and confirmed it."
Dr. Modi. Khushi knew that name. It was she who recommended that Anjali visit him in the first place Dr. Hiten Modi's father was once part of the Mumbai branch of the CBI. She would need to ask for the records of that blood test.
Shyam squeezed Anjali's hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss it. Arnav couldn't stomach that sickening sight and lost his appetite.
"We have to plan so much now!" Anjali gushed. "The baby's room, the crib, the clothes...everything." She sighed in bliss. She couldn't wait until her little rajkumar or rajkumari was brought into this world.
Khushi looked away from Anjali. If she and Arnav took down Shyam, how would that impact Anjali and the baby? She knew that in high stress situations, a pregnant woman could suffer a miscarriage. Khushi didn't want to live with the knowledge that she was responsible for the death of a fetus.
She felt Arnav's hand on her thigh, gripping it tightly. He was probably thinking the same exact thing.
Life had gotten very complicated very fast.
***
Through this entire spectacle, one very important thing was forgotten: observation.
The power of observation was often times underestimated, but it was never meant to be forgotten.
For his many years, Anmol Singh Raizada prided himself on waiting and watching his rivals moves and countering them. He was adept at picking up slight anomalies. And everything that had happened in the past week had been one huge anomaly. And Arnav and Khushi were the root of this.
Their behavior had been odd. First the hush hush conversations, then the surprise marriage, and even now, their faces carried traces of anguish, as if the joyous news of Anjali's pregnancy was causing them pain.
Enough was enough. He knew the two of them since before they were born. Tonight, he would drag whatever they were hiding right out of them.
Anmol stood suddenly causing everyone to look up at them. He shot them all a perfunctory smile before turning his gaze to Arnav and Khushi.
"Khushi bitiyaan, Arnav bitwa, ek minute humare saath
aao." He left the room fluidly, waiting for them to follow.
The two in question eyed each other questioningly before
going after their Mama.
***
They found him on the terrace, gazing at the stars, his back turned away.
"You know, Saroj was the best sister anyone could have." His voice drifted to them, sounding vacant. It was so unlike him.
"She was older than me by two years, and never let me forget that. We had the best childhood anyone could ask for. Two loving parents, a nice upbringing, a good education." He turned to face them, his face unusually hard. "And if it's one thing Saroj taught me, it was that I had to look on the micro level before the macro. Analyze the little things before stomping off to the big ones."
"Mama." Arnav said carefully. "What are you getting at?" He had never seen his uncle this way before.
The older man's eyes honed in on his nephew and niece, scrutinizing both of them carefully. It was like they were under a microscope.
"Bitwa, Bitiyaan, I've known you for nearly three decades. I know your habits, your moods, everything. So I know that there is something going on here that is very sinister. You all look so worried, anxious almost. I just want to let you know that if you share what's troubling you, I will try to help you."
Husband and wife were speechless at their uncle's declaration. Could they trust him to help them? Of course. There was no one more dependable than Anmol Singh Raizada. But how would he react to this information, that was the question they should ask.
"Mama. If we tell you, will you promise to aid us?" Khushi inquired quietly.
"You have my full support." He vowed solemnly.
Arnav looked from his uncle to his wife, not sure about this. A frown was on his face "Khushi...should we?"
She didn't answer him, choosing to walk over to Mama who was eying the two of them suspiciously. Khushi led him back to where Arnav was standing and took a deep breath. "Nav, think about it. Mama can help us."
Arnav pondered over this fact and concluded that yes, his uncle could help them. But what would he do to Arnav for concealing this information for so long.
"I'm waiting Arnav." Anmol said, tapping his foot expectantly.
Uncle and Nephew sized each other up before Arnav finally sighed and said the words that would haunt the senior Raizada for a long time.
"Shyam is trying to kill Di."
***
Arnav and Khushi took turns in explaining what had happened over the past week starting with Arnav's discoveries of two months ago. He had told his uncle how Shyam had lost his job but large deposits of money were still being put in to Jha account. Arnav had went on to tell his Mama why he had brought Khushi in to this matter. She was the only one who could help him.
From there, Khushi had taken over, recounting the DEHP she had found in Anjali's drinking water. She told Mama the what effect that chemical had on the body causing the older man to pale rapidly. Khushi reassured him that the harmful water was gone, and that it couldn't harm Di anymore. Khushi had avoided the marriage talk and skipped right to the background checks she had conducted on Shyam Jha and Shobha Raichand.
At the name Raichand, Anmol stopped her.
"Raichand you say?"
"Yes, is that name familiar?" Khushi asked, hoping for some more answers.
Anmol tapped his chin, a scowl permeating his face. "Of course I know that name!" He spat in disgust. "There was a Raichand at his office. She was his secretary. I'm sure you two know the rest."
"We suspected that he and Shyam's mother were having an affair." Arnav muttered quietly. He hated the man whose blood ran through his veins. Even posthumously, that man continued to inflict pain upon his family.
"Mama...that's all we know for now. I can infer that Shyam wants to harm Anjali, but with this child coming in, who knows what his plan is now. We've tried to keep Di away from him over this past week, and it was both good and bad that he went to Lucknow. My men say that he met with some shady people, perhaps a did a couple back end deals. I'm gathering evidence at this moment, but the information that we have isn't good enough to build a case against him." Khushi explained softly.
Anmol
Singh Raizada was in a state of utter shock. He, the one who prided
himself on his observation skills, could not see what was right in
front of him! His bitiyaan had been harmed, was still being harmed by
that man, and he didn't do a thing! Instead, these two youngsters had
taken it on themselves to help their sister.
He had failed. As an elder, an uncle, a father. He had failed to protect the child of his sister.
"Two months Bitwa, you knew for two months, but didn't tell anyone?" Anmol growled. "Why?"
Arnav bit back a stinging retort and kept his cool. This was his uncle, not some random man that he could bully. "Because I wasn't sure what I was dealing with until Khushi came to me with a cup of water that contained a deadly chemical. It was only at that moment that I realized what was truly going on."
Ah yes, that was something else Anmol wanted to discuss. Arnav and Khushi. This relationship seemed a little too good to be true...
"Please tell me that your marriage to Khushi bitiyaan is real!" Devi Maiyaa save them if it wasn't.
"Of course it is!" Arnav grunted, offended that his uncle could think like that. "We carried out the necessary rasams the day we married in front of you. We ARE husband and wife." He shot a pointed glance at Khushi who remembered their little 'chat' from this afternoon. Khushi felt her cheeks heat up and was thankful for the cover of night.
Anmol raised one eyebrow. Were they really in love, because, while it did seem like it, something else was in play. "So...you love each other?" He asked slyly.
"Why else would I marry her?"
"Why else would I marry him?"
Both of them answered at the same time which caused Anmol to smirk. Okay, so that mystery was settled. They actually did love each other. He could see it in their eyes. But...something was fishy.
"
Chodo Mama, now is not the time to talk about those things." Arnav fought the flush that was creeping up his neck. "Di and Shyam are our main focus."
Mama sighed. "Listen, I am as appalled as you two are at the injustice that our family has faced. Of course, it was him who started this mess, and he is now gone." His eyes bore into Arnav's. "I know that you hate your father as much as I do bitwa."
Arnav only nodded. His uncle was correct.
"The question is, what is our best course of action?"
"Defense." Khushi answered immediately. Both men
looked at her oddly.
"Sometimes, defense is the best offense. We enforce our territories, fortify our strongholds, and then strike. Shyam is good at this, but he's too carefree sometimes, he slips too easily. We exploit that, maybe make Anjali see how bad of a man he is, and let him make the mistake. We won't attack him, we just let his own attacks backstab him."
The two Raizadas stared at her for a moment before nodding. "See, this is why I married you!" Arnav exclaimed.
He saw Khushi's face fall and mentally slapped himself. Crap. That's not what he meant.
"Yes, I know." His heart clenched at her tone. He was causing her pain again.
"Come on, let's go back down before they get worried." Arnav said gently, hoping that he could make it up to Khushi.
Anmol just stood in the background, studying his niece and nephew. He wasn't a fool. This marriage was too hastily done. Arnav and Khushi definitely did not meet in the seven months she was away, nor did he contact her at all. No inclination of a romantic relationship was made, and no matter how hard they could keep it a secret, no secret lasted long around Shantivan.
Which could mean only one thing: This was a marriage of convenience. Now, that didn't meant that they didn't love each other. It just meant that they needed Cupid to come and shoot his arrow at them.
And Anmol Singh Raizada was the perfect Cupid.
I swear to you Saroj, Arnav and Khushi will be together forever. And Anjali will be safe. Just trust me.
From high above him, the brightest star in the sky shined a little stronger. Anmol smiled as he saw this. He had his sister with him, and that was all he needed.
***
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but it feels good to have Mama as a confident." Arnav said to Khushi when they were in their room a couple hours later.
The trio had returned downstairs. No one had asked them where they had went which was good because Arnav wasn't sure if they could come up with anything plausible. For the rest of the night, Mama had kept an unusually vigilant watch over Anjali. Even if a spoon fell on the ground, he wouldn't let her pick it up.
"Mama cares for her like a daughter Arnav, and you as a son. He can't let anyone harm Anjali...or this family." Khushi said, setting Arnav's night clothes on the bed for him.
After a few minutes, both of them had settled on the bed. Arnav was re-reading his favorite economics book while Khushi was engrossed in Sherlock Holmes.
"Hey!" Arnav exclaimed suddenly causing Khushi to scowl at him.
"Kya hua?"
"You were going to tell me how Di could get pregnant even though...you know." He turned himself towards her.
"Oh, right." Khushi was going over possible theories in her mind and chose the most plausible one to tell him. "Okay, so remember how I told you that Shyam was adding just above the legal amount of DEHP into the water and that it wasn't enough to be charged as a crime?"
Arnav nodded.
"Well, I also told you that Di's immune system was already weakened so she would be vulnerable to the affects of the chemical. Her pregnancy can be a result of one of two things. Either my first hypothesis was wrong, or, Di has built an immunity towards that chemical negating its effects. Once again though, I need the results of her blood test. Which I'm going to get."
He nodded once more at her words. His book no longer
interested him when he went to read it again. Sometime during
listening to Khushi speak, he had noticed the way her eyes lit up
when she was explaining something. How her voice took on a rather
commanding tone, very similar to his own.
He found it rather difficult to listen to her as well as not notice the way her hands would smooth down the ends of her shirt every so often. It didn't help that since tonight was unusually hot, she was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
He winced every time she flexed her legs. Those long, smooth, silky legs of hers. All he could think about was running his hands up them.
"Arnav..."
"Oye! Arnav!"
She snapped her fingers under her husband's eyes. He looked at her with a startled expression.
"Kaha kho gaya?"
"Huh?" Arnav replied dumbly before realizing that he had been staring. "Oh...woh...nothing, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about Di."
Khushi's eyes dimmed. "Me too."
Arnav put his book down and turned to her. "Khushi, we need to come up with a concrete plan. Waiting and watching won't help Di or her child."
She let out an impatient breath. "You think I don't know that Arnav? Of course I do. I've put out trackers on the man for God' sake! The best think I can do is put a GPS tracker on him or rig his room to give me video surveillance. Also, be careful in documents that you receive."
He had followed her until the last one. "What? Why?"
She looked at him in a way that reminded him of his mother when she was explaining a particularly hard math problem to him. "I'll be frank. You said it yourself. Shyam's main goal is to kill Di."
Arnav winced. Khushi was right. "I know."
"But why? We have the revenge thing down, but why else?"
"Money." Arnav ground out harshly. At the end of the day, money made the world go round.
"Exactly." Khushi stated grimly. "And tell me this, what happens if Di dies huh? Who gets her money?"
He paled in realization. "Nani does."
Khushi shook her head in affirmation. "Yes, Nani does, not Shyam. So when I told you to be read each and every report you receive thoroughly, I meant that because Shyam will try to slip you something which will transfer everything from Nani to him."
For a while after that, not another word was said. Both husband and wife sat in a tensely quiet atmosphere, thinking about everything, everything that had happened today. From waking up together, to Arnav making Khushi admit that she felt something, to this evening's revelations.
Speaking of which, Khushi's mind kept wandering to this afternoon when Arnav had kissed her. It was only for a second, maybe less, but the feel of his warm lips on her were enough to cause the butterflies in her stomach to multiply tenfold. She glanced over at Arnav who was staring at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression.
"You asked me if I regretted whatever had passed between us, and you said you didn't. What does that mean Arnav?" Khushi asked him quietly.
That softly worded question snapped him out of his thinking. Out of all the things he had expected her to say, this was not one of them. Arnav slowly turned to his wife to see that she was eying him expectantly.
"I...ahem." He cleared his throat and pulled at his shirt collar. Khushi had the sense to make him wear one of his old Harvard Tees instead of the sweaters that he usually wore, but it still felt too warm. Whatever he had said this afternoon was true. He didn't regret anything. But how could he explain that to her?
Khushi took his silence to mean that either he couldn't answer the question, or he didn't want to.
He saw the hurt expression on her face. Damn it Arnav! You made her spill her heart out to you, why can't you just say something?
"Wait, Khushi." To her, his voice sounded slightly strangled.
"What?"
"No." He said firmly, confidence returning. "I don't regret what happened, and let me tell you why." Arnav pulled Khushi's soft hand into his own larger one. A smile lit his face when she didn't withdraw and came closer to him on her own.
"If I had agreed to an arranged marriage, who would be Nani and Di's first candidate?"
"Me." Khushi breathed in sharply.
Arnav nodded. "Yes, you. Now, tell me this, if and when Shyam gets caught, do you think you can leave this house even though we agreed that's what would happen?" He was very pleased with himself for his reasoning.
Could I leave this house? Khushi thought to herself. She looked from Arnav, to the open closet which held both of their clothes, to the dresser, to the poolside, and finally to their entwined hands. Could she give up all of this?
"I don't think so."
It was said so quietly, Arnav had to strain to hear it. But when he heard it, he resisted from picking her up and twirling her around.
"And why is that?" His calm voice didn't match with his thudding heart.
"Because this place is my home, and I couldn't leave my home." She replied honestly.
"And now suppose we tell the family after Shyam is caught the real reason we got married, what would happen then?"
Khushi hadn't even thought of telling their family the truth. She thought they would just tell everyone that they parted on mutual consent. She was quite nave.
"They would make us get married to each other...again." A sigh escaped her. Whatever route she took, Arnav was there as well.
"So, since you would be my wife anyway, whatever we have," He gestured to the space between them and wished that it would be smaller. "Is not going to go away." Arnav smirked at her adorable blush. "Really Khushi, I thought that you were an expert in deductive reasoning. Where did your intelligence go?"
Khushi's eyes flashed with anger. "Shut up! Whenever I'm with you in these types of situation, I seem to not be able to think."
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Sev - -
"WAIT! No! That's not what I meant!" She cried hysterically, ripping her hand from his. Arnav just looked on in amusement as she tried to take back what she had said. "I mean..."
"Was that another Freudian Slip?" Arnav asked her, unable to keep the mirth from his voice. If only people could hear the frightening Commander Khushi Rathod...Singh Raizada right now. She looked like a child who had was searching for something. Arnav leaned back against the headboard and folded his arms over her chest, just watching as she wrung her hands, gripped her t-shirt, and tried to avoid his gaze. Clearly, she had never done this before.
She was more innocent than he thought. Could she still be...a virgin?
"Chodo. Leave it. This is upsetting you. Let's talk about something else." Arnav said airily. Khushi sighed in relief and nodded enthusiastically, not noticing the naughty glint in his eyes.
"So, do you remember that guy Sameer?" He asked seemingly innocently.
Khushi gave him a weird look. "Sameer, Sameer Shetty? My first boyfriend? What about him?" What was he getting at?
"Why'd you break up with him?"
Khushi gaped at him. That was seven years ago! Her eyes narrowed. Her husband was trying to get something out of her...
"How did you even know about that? You were in America at that time." Khushi remarked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
Arnav coughed slightly. "Well, For four months,
whenever Di called me, all she could talk about was Khushi and
Sameer this, and Khushi and Sameer that. It was bloody
annoyinng!" He refused to tell her that every time his sister
mentioned the two, his chest had hurt. Arnav had even considered
going to the doctor.
Now he knew what that feeling was: jealousy.
"Anyway, Di and Nani were speculating about when you would get married! But he was too old for you. I mean, you were eighteen and he was like twenty seven. So when Di called me once to tell me you two were over, I actually felt relieved for you, and a little curious as to the reason why."
Khushi bent her head down in embarrassment as she recalled why they had broken up. It hadn't been a pretty split, and Sameer had been left with a couple bruises that she hoped he still had. That man had been a high class bas***d. But...she supposed she could tell Arnav. He was her husband after all, no matter what his ulterior motives were.
"Well," She began. He sat up straighter, eagerly listening. "You're right when you said he was too old for me. See, actually, Di and Maa introduced us, and Nani told me that he was interested in me from the day he saw my picture." She scowled in disgust. "They wanted us to get married."
For some reason, Arnav was fascinated by this story. Khushi was revealing a part of herself that she had never shared before. He of course, felt like pummeling this faceless man, but quelled the impulse.
"I mean, he was nice at first. He took me to lunch, we watched movies together, kissed, and so on. But then, I started noticing things. He would stare at other women openly in front of me, sometimes, he would ignore me. I was eighteen, and an idiot so I let it go. But one day, I felt like I had to know why." Khushi clenched her fists at that memory. Arnav sensed a shift in her attitude and instinctively grasped her hand.
"You know what he said?" Her eyes met his, and he was taken aback by the fury he found within them. "He told me that he wouldn't stare at those women if I slept with him!"
Arnav couldn't believe what he was hearing. Were men really that shallow? Had he ever dumped a girl because she wouldn't sleep with him? Well...no, because he actually hadn't dated too much, and didn't feel the need to sleep with any girl that he did date. They were all idiots anyway.
"So I kicked him." Khushi grinned wickedly. "Right where it would hurt the most." Her eyes traveled down to his groin which he covered protectively.
Arnav winced at the very thought of someone kicking him...there. When they were younger, Khushi always had wondered why in the movies, the girls would always hit the boys down under and why the guys would groan. She had wanted to know, and Akaash was stupid enough to be her test dummy. They were only ten years old.
After that, Akaash had avoided Khushi like the plague of three days, an ice pack always with him. Ever since those days all of them had learned that Khushi could kick...very hard.
Arnav heard her sigh and turned his attention back to her. "Ever since then, I've dated cautiously...and rarely. I had no time for anything once I became an agent. We were out on the field every day investigating some murder or another. In a way, this marriage was a godsend because Maa had been hounding me ever since I got back from London to go meet some guys." She shook her head and looked up at him.
"So thanks Arnav, for asking me to marry you...no matter what your reasons were." Her smile looked a little sad, he noted.
Damn the guilt that ran through his body! He just wanted to make her smile again.
"I...My first girlfriend lasted for two hours." He confessed quietly.
That brought a smile on her face. "Oh really!" She exclaimed jauntily. "Who was she? Was it Sushimita...or Arpita?"
A slow smirk made its way on his face. "Nope, it wasn't either of them...who are they by the way?"
Khushi snorted and waved her hand at him. "Two girls who were obsessed about you. Anyway, was it Priya? Or Saloni? Mahi? Jiya?"
Arnav genuinely had no idea who these girls were, but it was nice to keep her guessing. But when she had a list of about twenty girls, and he kept shooting each one down, he decided it was time to tell her.
"It was you, Khushi! You were my first girlfriend."
"WHAT!" She bellowed, staring at him like he had grown two heads. "I think I would remember if you were my first boyfriend!"
Arnav couldn't help the laughter that expelled from his mouth. "You were! I swear. I think it must have been twenty years ago, but you were my first girlfriend."
She stopped looking like she wanted to kill him and slumped back onto the bed. It took a few moments, but then she understood what he was talking about. "Arnav! We were kids! As I recall, you dragged me outside and pointed to a couple who were kissing in the shadows."
"And then I asked you if we could do the same." Arnav recounted. While looking back on his life, he realized just how many moments like this he had shared with Khushi. If he had kissed her when he was seven, he was sure he never would have let her go. He should have seen this coming. Even as a child, Arnav had known..
"And I said that we had to be married to do that." Khushi waggled her eyebrows at him.
"And I think that I asked you to marry me." Arnav leaned closer to her.
"So you weren't my first boyfriend, you were my first fiance." Khushi observed. She should have known...
"First and only." His tone suggested that there would be no more fiances at all. And she agreed.
Arnav spied his mother's ring glinting on her hand. First and only indeed. A primal urge to mark her in a far more intimate way then a necklace or ring shot through his body. This wasn't the first time he had experienced this feeling with Khushi, and it wouldn't be the last.
"So, we're actually going to stay married?" She asked him sceptically.
He gave her a what do you think look which shut her up. Amazing. One week ago, when they had first got married, Arnav had told her that they would divorce after Shyam was gone and Di was alright.
And now...
She wondered if she should have him tested for Bipolar Disorder.
Then Khushi realized what he was implying and flushed. He wanted to stay married to her. Which meant in the future, they would...you know.
"I suppose you want to know exactly what this marriage will entail." Arnav drawled lazily, reading her mind. Actually, he was studying the cycles her facial expressions were going through and could imagine what she was thinking.
Don't worry Khushi, I'm thinking the exact same thing...just a BIT more graphic.
She nodded, afraid that her voice would come out in a squeak.
"Well," His tone became lower, a bit huskier. He could see her gulp. "Since we are married, it's okay to do...married things. I guess kids are in the equation as well. The whole till death do us part thing is odd though." How he said this with a straight face was concerning.
Khushi backed herself on the bed, wishing she could reach for her gun which was in her bedside drawer.
"Don't worry." Arnav spoke. "We won't do anything tonight." His heated gaze complete with darkened eyes suggested otherwise.
She rolled his eyes. Even if he did try anything, she would kick him in the same exact spot where she had kicked Sameer Shetty.
Arnav ruffled her hair lightly and gave a nod to her.
"Night wife." He gestured for her to turn the light off.
"Good night Arnav." Khushi was about to turn off the light when a thought entered her mind. Arnav had been teasing her the entire day, hell, he had teased her for her entire life. It was time to give him a test of his own medicine.
Medicine which happened to be very addicting.
***
Arnav wasn't sure what had happened when he found Khushi snuggled up by his side, running her hands all over his chest.
One minute he was ready to sleep, the next he was fully aroused. He groaned at the mischievous spark in her eye. No...not now! They both had work tomorrow.
"Khushi. Stop." He warned her.
But she disregarded his rather un-commanding warning and kept on with her ministrations.
"Khushi..." He moaned as her palms slid under his shirt to touch the hard planes of his torso. "Don't."
Khushi was bold, but not this bold. It was as though she held some sort of unknown power against this man. He was squirming under her touch, and that was eye opening for her. If they were to make this a real marriage, she needed to understand what she did to him.
With a grunt, she pushed himself on his thighs for leverage. "I'm just doing what you did to me." She leaned over to whisper that in his ear. It was his turn to shiver under the touch of his spouse.
"Get off before I forget about my promise not to touch you." His voice was hoarse and gruff. Arnav's eyes flashed, promising retribution.
If she was affected by his words, she didn't show it. Instead, Khushi placed her head on his rapidly thudding heart and smirked. Slowly, Khushi raked her nails over his stomach inciting another groan from him. On an impulse she leaned down and placed a kiss on his exposed navel.
She raised herself up by placing her palms on his chest, a smug grin on her face. "How does it feel now?"
"This is playing dirty." He ground out, pulling her hands off of him.
Arnav rolled on to his side, taking her with him. They lay there side by side in the dim light, looking into each others eyes which was the same as looking into a mirror.
Ever so tenderly, Arnav kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin, letting his affection for her flow through the one action. He heard her sigh in content and bit back a grin. This was better than he had expected.
With one last look at her, he closed his eyes, pulling her closer towards his chest.
Needless to say, sleep did not evade them that night.
***
Morning came as an unwelcome reminder that all good things must come to an end. Neither seemed terribly bothered that Arnav's arms were around Khushi's waist, or that her legs were wrapped around his legs.
Something had changed in the past twenty four hours between them, and they weren't afraid to admit it.
Di's news had made them realize just how far they would have to go to protect their family. Heck, Arnav had even considered asking Khushi to give Di's child a cousin so he or she wouldn't be lonely.
Now, now they had a deadline. Shyam needed to be out before Di's baby was born. His presence needed to be eradicated.
One by one, all the family members would have to be educated on what was really going on.
And one by one, the Raizada family would have to rise against a tyrant who was hell bent on destroying them.
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