NOTE: People! READ the note above! I am not going to continuously repeat myself over PMs again and again! Anybody else asking me why I am not PM-ing them, why I haven't accepted them on my buddy list, that i should send them a PM for the next update etc etc, is going to get ignored. Kinda getting annoyed, that despite me answering my reasons for not accepting people, I am still getting PMs of people telling me to send them a PM and accept them in my "buddy list"
Part 21
"When you first fall in love, it's supposed to be awful. Awful, uncertain, scary, wonderful, confusing, all at once. That's how you know it's real. You have to care deeply. Passionately. That hurts." - Nancy Werlin
Khushi sat in her seat, her small frame getting swallowed by the large, plush leathered seat, with a TV in front, and remote on the side with buttons on it, for different functions. She pressed a few, her face lighting up in delight at what each was for.
"I was going to book the first-class, but Di insisted we travel by business, because you would probably get intimidated since this is your first time flying" Arnav explained, as he quickly packed away their hand-luggage at the compartment on the top, waving away the air-hostess which had offered to help. Khushi shrugged her shoulders with indifference and stared out the window, the excitement of travelling by plane for the first time taking over her,
"I don't mind' She said, as she looked at the remote, biting her lip in confusion as she pressed down on the power button, but the TV did not switch on. As Arnav sat down next to her, he made himself comfortable, while Khushi kept pressing down on the button, slowly getting frustrated as it refused to corporate.
She felt Arnav's gaze on her, and a blush slowly started at her cheeks at the embarrassment of not being able to switch on the TV.
"Stop" He hissed, and Khushi turned to face him, her hand still holding the remote, looking at him confused, "It won't switch on till the plane takes off" He explained, and Khushi's mouth dropped open in understanding, as she placed the remote back, not quite getting the rules and restrictions of the plane.
As the airhostess walked around, she glanced at Khushi's seat, and smiled while leaning in to tell her something, "Ma'am, the plane is about to take-off. Would you please put on your seatbelt?"
Khushi nodded and looked to the back of the seat to grab her seatbelt, but frowned when she found nothing, as she looked around, she saw the strap of the belt at the side and grabbed a hold of it, she tried looking around for the clasp, but at finding nothing, she looked around, confused.
Arnav tutted and exhaled in frustration, putting the magazine that he had been holding back in the rack, and faced her, a look of irritation passing his features.
Khushi looked back down at the seatbelt and continued to look around for the buckle, feeling her face heating up as she couldn't find it, dreading what would happen if the plane took off without her wearing the seat belt.
A hand enclosed around hers, and Khushi jumped in her seat, as her body stiffened up, and she held her breath, as Arnav leaned in to grab the seatbelt off from her, took the buckle hanging at the other side, and buckled her up.
She held her breath, as she felt his fingers brush over her stomach, as he tightened the buckle, and continued to hold her breath as he let go, and leaned back in his seat.
It was only when she was sure that he wasn't going to lean in, did Khushi release her breath, and leaned away from him, closer to the window next to her, leaning her head against the plane, silently praying to her Devi Maiya to make this trip bearable.
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Khushi kept her eyes looking out of the small window, the journey long and tiring but the excitement brewing at the pit of her stomach made any jetlag and tiredness she felt, flying out the window, as she saw the greenery and sections of plain land as the plane hovered over the island of Australia.
She clutched onto the plastic of the window, and leaned in closer, her nose touching the glass, her breath fogging it up, as her eyes widened and took in the lights, the traffic, the roads, the structure, the foreignness of the land.
She had never travelled that much when she was in India, and this was the first time she was travelling overseas. She tried containing her excitement but was failing miserably, and she clapped her hands together as she saw the plane was getting closer to touch-down, jumping slightly in her chair, a giggle escaping her lips.
"Calm down" A voice came from her side, and the smile immediately vanished from her face as she quickly sat back in her chair her arms crossing at her chest, and glaring at him. He had his eyes closed, and the formals which he had worn at the start of the journey had slowly started coming off as the flight had taken-off.
Now Arnav sat next to her in a pine-striped shirt tucked into his pants, the top button undone, as the vest and tie had been packed away in his hand luggage.
The spacious seats, and the way they inclined back had Khushi completely baffled at the start, and Arnav had not done much to comfort her either, but eventually after pressing a few unknown buttons, she had managed to unintentionally call the airhostess several times, make the TV switch channels without meaning to, and recline her seat back further than she wanted to.
Finally getting a grasp for the buttons, she had a pleasant second half of the journey, especially since Arnav had gone off to sleep, leaving Khushi in peace to do whatever she wanted.
As the plane touched down, she closed her eyes tight, and prayed a quick prayer to her Devi Maiya for the safe flight.
Opening her eyes she saw Arnav stretching out on his seat, the arms flexing as he raised them up, the shirt stretching across his flat stomach and the broad chest, and Khushi looked away, tapping her foot in impatience for him to get out so she could get her luggage and explore the country.
"Keep close to me. I don't want to keep looking out for you" Arnav muttered as he handed her, her handbag, and started walking down the narrow aisle towards the exit of the plane.
The airport was nicely conditioned, and Khushi's eyes widened as she took in the interior design, the people bustling about, people with all kinds of coloured hair, dress sense, and just the whole atmosphere of being in a different country.
Despite feeling tired after such a long journey, Khushi kept the smile on her face as she stuck close to Arnav, her eyes darting around, taking in everything, the excitement slowly bubbling at the pit of her stomach as she thought about everything she would tell her Jiji when she got to the hotel.
Seeing Arnav step on the travelator, Khushi gulped, and held onto the side railing of it, gently placing her foot on the fast moving machine, and quickly stepped on it, giving out a gasp as she lost her balance and felt herself toppling back .
A hand grasped her shoulder firmly, while the other came to rest on her waist, and helped her regain her balance. Khushi looked over her shoulder to thank the stranger and found herself looking into twinkling blue eyes, sandy blonde hair covering his forehead, a dimple appearing on the man's cheek as he grinned at her cheekily and asked,
"You alright, mate?"
Khushi's eyes widened as the accent was lost on her and her mouth opened slightly in confusion as she looked at him bewildered. His smile deepened and he repeated,
"Are you alright?"
Khushi felt her cheeks warming as she continued to look at the man with the blue eyes. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried stringing the words together in her head, trying to make sense of his heavily accented English, and smiled shyly in embarrassment as she realised that she had no idea what he was asking of her. She was snapped out of her thoughts as a hand enclosed around her arm and pull at it lightly. Khushi looked and saw Arnav standing there, his eyes briefly looking over her blushing face, before he turned to the stranger,
"Yeah she's fine" He said, and then pulled at her arm again, quickly waking down the travelator, making Khushi follow him.
Khushi looked over her shoulder again to see the handsome man staring at her, and winked at her as he caught her eye, the cheeky grin covering his face again and Khushi gave out a gasp as she quickly looked ahead, her eyes widening, and a hand clapping to her mouth, her face turning red in mortification.
"I told you to keep up with me!" Arnav snapped, as his grip on her arm did not loosen, and Khushi kept quiet, her mind still reeling from the small encounter with a stranger, and a small smile resting on her face.
*******
As they walked into the Crown Towers where they were staying, Khushi held back a yawn as Arnav went to the reception to fill out the formalities. Arnav came to stand next to her, and the butler and porter followed, leading them to a separate hallway, their keys ready in hand, small kind smiles ready on their faces as they explained to them the Villa Experience booked under their name.
"These are your private elevators, which you can use whenever, however the floor you need to go on will only be activated when you swipe your key like this" The Butler explained as he swiped his key. Khushi tried keeping up with what he was saying however he was speaking too fast, and his words were heavily laced with thick Australian accent, dropping a mate at the end of every two sentences.
"They lead you directly to your Villa, My name is Matthew, and I will be there for your assistance 24 hours" The Butler explained, as he opened the doors to their Villa, and Khushi stepped in, her eyes widening as she took in the room.
It was more like a house. There was a lounge room the moment you entered, with big windows surrounding the entire living room, giving a breath-taking view of the entire city, the lights twinkling as night started to fall, and Khushi's eyes widened as she went and stood in front of the windows, her hands touching the cool glass, a shiver running down her spine at the view. She had never expected to see such an amazing view.
Her breath fogged up the glass, and she stepped away, her eyes taking in every little detail of the suite, whether it was the furniture that complimented the colours, or the small decorator items that surrounded the suite, adding their own personal touch to it. The fresh flowers surrounding the living room, created a fresh look in the modern design of the house, and she inhaled deeply, the aroma of the flowers invading her senses, and the tension and tiredness slowly leaving her body.
"Mrs. Jha had called up before your arrival and had asked for our Indian staff to assist Mrs. Raizada on a few things"
Khushi's head snapped up at her name being mentioned and she went and stood beside Arnav, who was listening to the Butler,
"So we have asked Miss. Nandini Sharma to assist you, ma'am" Matthew said, mispronouncing Nandini's name. Khushi nodded her thanks, and then moved around the suite, stepping into her room and stopping short at the sight in front of her.
She faintly heard Matthew address how it was their honeymoon, and therefore the bottle of Champagne and cake was on the house, and Khushi gulped audibly as she saw the decorations on the bed.
Candles surrounded the room, unlit, yet surrounding the entire room, already filling it with their sweet incense, and Khushi took in a shaky breath as she saw the flower petals strewn about the entire room, the lights dimmed, the white bed sheets neatly tucked in, a few hear chocolates nicel arranged on the bed, the whole room reeking of romance and love, none of which existed in their relationship.
She heard Arnav come up behind her and stopped short, his own breath hitching at the sight in front of him, and she practically felt the tension in the room heighten, her own hands gripping the sides of her suit, her breaths deepening as she heard him take another step into the room, and the heat from his body warmed her back. She gulped as the feelings from her wedding night returned, the feeling of helplessness, anger, fear, confusion, and she waited.
She waited whether he would do something.
Her hands gripped the sides of her suit tightly, holding her breath, ready to lash out in case he touched her.
He cleared his throat and quickly took a few steps, brushing past her, not sparing her a glance as he placed his suitcase on the bed, took out his nightclothes and quickly went to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Khushi let out the breath she had been holding, the tension slowly leaving her body, as she walked up to the bed, and sat down, feeling the softness of the sheets under her palms.
As she laid back on the bed, and closed her eyes thoughtfully, she wondered who would be sleeping on the couch tonight.
Here is the layout of the suite:
They are in Melbourne, Australia...since I live there, and kinda have an idea of the people, streets and places :)
Please let me know what you thought of this part!
No PMs have been sent as of yet!
Exams approaching so might not be able to update till November! :)
~K
Veer Hanuman
Anupamaa
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