Chapter 52
Khushi's eyes shot up 'what do you mean by everyone knows that you have me?' she asked as her eyes narrowed.
Well... a wise soul had once said explosions are by their nature not meant to be comfortable, thought Arnav as he looked at Khushi... looks like a detonation was imminent as he prepared himself for impact.
Time to fess up.
'Khushi... before you get mad, please hear me out' he said quietly.
Khushi leaned back in her seat as she pulled her hand away from his and folded her hands in her lap, 'I'm listening...'
Arnav groaned out aloud as Khushi glared at him blatantly.
Arnav took a deep breath and then a sip of his scotch for courage; it was clear from Khushi's reaction that he was in big trouble and he briefly considered trying to placate her through distraction but deep down Arnav knew that it wouldn't work. Oi! You need to take a leaf out of her book, you big chicken!! She's always been honest with how no matter how angry you could have been towards her... it's time to pull up your big boy undies and act like a man!! Shouted the angel.
Arnav conceded and let out a sigh. He knew full well that there was only one way out of this; absolute honesty.
'Khushi... I know that yet again that my way of dealing with this has annoyed you and you are absolutely justified in your anger. I acknowledge that too. But Khushi, trust me when I say this; I had no intention of undermining you or taking away your choices... all I wanted was some time away... just you and me... I want to be able to talk to you with no time limits, no interruptions. If I am guilty of anything then it's those things ' I want you to myself and I want to talk to you without any interruptions,' he said sincerely.
Khushi analysed his expression as she considered his words. She was surprised at his humility as he put forward his position quietly. She took a deep breath.
'Ok Arnav... I can understand that... but again you made a decision without me Arnav. You know what my opinion is on that...' she said quietly.
'Khushi... I'll be very honest with you. First, whether you choose to believe me or not, this...this decision happened very quickly...as in this morning... and I did try and call you, but you were in a meeting with Aman and your team remember? Second, I admit I am guilty of asking Uncle for permission to take you away without your consent...so guilty as charged there, but Khushi, I really didn't want to ... I couldn't wait,' Arnav admitted honestly.
Khushi looked at Arnav in confusion 'what couldn't you wait for Arnav... I mean we were together last night and I thought everything was ok? Has something happened?' she asked as concern became evident in her eyes.
Arnav groaned; she wasn't going back off was she. 'Khushi we have three days to ourselves... we can talk more when we get there' he said as he tried to deflect her.
Wait a minute, thought Khushi to herself as the last part of his sentence reverberated through her mind, her eyes widened in shock, 'Arnav, you asked my babu-ji for permission to take me away for three days and he agreed?!' she shrieked and then dropped down to whisper as she saw the flight attendant peep out from the galley, 'Arnav, what did you say to him...and Amma... I know she already thinks that we are going things that we aren't doing!' she said as she groaned.
Arnav raised his eyebrow, 'Khushi... come on...babu-ji understands that we are adults and offcourse I told him the truth... I said that I needed some time away to talk to you and that back in Delhi we keep getting interrupted by one thing or the other... and then I promised to behave myself...so he knows we are definitely not doing what your Amma thinks we are doing... though having said that...I'm pretty sure you wouldn't mind doing those things...' he said as a cheeky half smile appeared on his face.
Khushi's eyes opened even wider; not because of what he had just said but...had he just called her father...babu-ji??
Arnav frowned, maybe his attempt to crack a joke had been a bad idea. 'Khushi are you ok? I get it that you're mad and...' he said as he tried to pacify her.
She raised her eyebrow at him, 'Arnav, I'm not mad... well not anymore...but I am sending a prayer to Devi Maiya right now to give you the good sense to talk to me first the next time you decide to make a decision about us.'
Arnav smiled to himself; little did Ms Khushi Kumari Gupta know that SHE would be the one making the next and certainly the most important decision about them all by herself.
The smile disappeared and Arnav frowned as he turned to look at Khushi...Hang on, he thought.
'Khushi... let get this straight...you're not angry?' he asked somewhat perplexed.
Khushi leaned back in her seat as she took another sip of water, 'well I was scared first; the way you literally whisked me from the office without any explanation and then put us on this plane... Yes, I was definitely the petrified type of scared. Then you said 'trust me' and I do...so here we are... going to God knows where...and then I did get angry when you said you spoke to babu-ji minus me...and trust me Arnav, I really did think about pushing you out of this plane but I then I thought I don't want to go to jail for murdering the great Arnav Singh Raizada... so I guess there's not much I can do now can I...so no Arnav... the short answer to your question is: I'm not angry anymore'.
Arnav's eyes widened as he listened to her, he really had no clue what to make of her statement; she was saying that she wasn't mad but...she certainly sounded like she was.
Khushi turned to look at Arnav and she patted herself on the back as she saw his puzzled expression; she really had him worried. Khushi gave up and began laughing out loud!
'Khushi...!' Arnav practically growled as her as he yanked her hand and placed it above his heart which was racing 'can you feel this...this is your fault!! You won't need to push me out of this bloody plane because I'll probably have mercy on myself and die of a heart attack!!' he said as he glared at her.
Khushi whacked his shoulder with her free hand 'stop being so melodramatic Arnav... and by the way, welcome to my world ' my heart was always like that each time you stepped out of the elevator at AR and then proceeded to happily spend 7.5 hours out of our 8 hour work day yelling at me!!' she said as she laughed. She moved her hand from his heart and laced her fingers with him as it struck her... she had 3 whole days with him!
Arnav looked at her and then laughed; it was a full bellied laugh as an immense sensation of relief washed over him as he stared at her in; Khushi Kumari Gupta had acted completely opposite to what he was anticipating and had managed to shock him yet again. He silently sent a wish to whoever might be listening; please let her say yes...I want her to surprise me like this for the rest of our lives.
As Arnav relaxed in his seat, he recalled her highly worried state when he had arrived at her office. He turned to her, 'Khushi... about what happened at your office; I know that you wanted to talk to me about something... I'm sorry I rushed us out of there but it was because the pilot was waiting,' he said as he brushed his lips against the side of her forehead, 'What did you want to talk to me...' he asked just as the pilot's voice interrupted.
'Mr Raizada, Ms Gupta, may I request that you fasten your seatbelts as we will be landing in Srinagar shortly. Anish, please prepare the cabin for landing.'
Khushi's eyes widened 'Srinagar... I've always wanted to come to Kashmir' she whispered in awe as Arnav transformed yet another one of her dreams into reality. Arnav smiled, 'I'm really glad you're excited about this Khushi' he said sincerely, 'but Khushi, answer my question... what did you want to tell me?' he asked again.
Khushi looked into Arnav's eyes, 'I'll tell you later...' she whispered. Arnav pulled back 'Khushi...what is it?' he asked as worry crept into his voice. Khushi immediately detected the change in his tone, while she really did want to tell him her news, now was not the right time or place, 'Arnav, we have three days together...we're almost about to land and there's no point in starting this conversation now.'
Arnav nodded as he respected her request while the aircraft began its decent into Kashmir.
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When they emerged from the plane, Khushi shouldn't have been surprised but she was to find a find a limo waiting for them at the airport. She shivered as the cold air from mountains enveloped her. In an instant, Arnav was by her side, as his pulled his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders as he bundled her into the limo.
As the limo pulled out onto the stretch of road, Khushi turned to Arnav 'we're here now...come on tell me where we're going Arnav?!' she said asked ' have you been here before...I've always wanted to come to Kashmir!!!' she babbled in excitement. Arnav smiled, her enthusiasm was infectious, 'Khushi we'll be there in 15 minutes, and no I haven't been here before...I guess I wanted to come here with someone special' he said quietly. Khushi couldn't help contain the big smile that appeared on her face as she snuggled into his side.
They arrived at their destination and were whisked away after the fastest and smoothest check-in process. Khushi gasped she and Arnav stepped into an impossibly large suite.
'This can't be right...are we really going to stay here?' Khushi murmured as she turned in a slow circle, taking in the three sofas, the carved dining table, the ornate Kashmiri decorations, the wide French doors leading out to a balcony with a breath taking view of Dal Lake. Fresh flowers filled several vases and a large fruit basket sat on the dining room table, the room glowed in the soft lighting from several strategically placed lamps and candles.
As Khushi turned, she noted two closed doors on opposite ends of the suite. She felt Arnav behind her as he placed his hands on her waist, his voice low and gentle, 'Khushi, there are two rooms here. You can choose where you want to stay; with me or in the other room... I'll respect your choice either way because I want you be comfortable while we are here, ok?' Khushi gulped as she nodded, suddenly feeling nervous; could she handle three whole days and nights with him she wondered? As she walked further into the living room, Khushi noticed that Arnav had stepped away from her. He had also started a fire in the fireplace and made himself at home on the large sofa across from the flickering flames. The soft lighting emphasised his strong bone structure, and Khushi couldn't help but admire the elegant sweep of his nose or the strength inherent in his jawline despite the million butterflies in her tummy.
Khushi cleared her throat as she tore her eyes from him and looked at the fire place 'It's not exactly chilly outside,' she told him, knowing it made sense to sit next to him, but suddenly feeling shy as she stared into the flames. 'I thought you would appreciate the ambience Khushi,' he said. His voice was low and husky as he stood up and moved around the table toward her. She recognized the danger signs and took a step back.
'Khushi...' the sound of her name in that husky voice did odd things to her stomach sending the butterflies into overdrive. She watched as Arnav slowly stepped closer and closer. Despite her nerves, she couldn't help but notice the flecks of gold in his irises, the dark line where his whiskers began on his cheeks as her gaze drifted to his mouth and she remembered what it had felt like against her own. Khushi sighed; it felt like a lifetime since he had kissed her.
Arnav could not take his eyes off her. While equal parts of excitement, curiosity and apprehension raced through him and he savoured the thought of having her all to himself, he couldn't help but wonder about the outcome of this trip. Having said that, right now all Arnav could think about was how badly he craved contact with her.
'Arnav...I...' she whispered and in a flash his lips pressed against hers cutting her off before she could complete her sentence. Then she gave herself up to the glory of his body pressing against hers, the feel of his strong arms wrapping around her body, and the sweetness of his mouth claiming hers. Being with him felt so incredibly right, she thought dreamily as she parted her lips to welcome him home. Unable to resist the need growing inside of her, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed against him. If only there was a way to crawl inside of him, she might at last feel that she belonged. When his tongue touched hers, she answered with more intensity, following him back, tasting him, circling him, silently begging him never to stop. She ran her hands up and down his back, then boldly pressed her palms against the dip of his back, the action forcing his hips forward, thrusting his arousal against her belly. She might never have seen a fully aroused man before, but she knew exactly what that bulge meant. 'Khushi...," he breathed against her mouth. The sound of her name in that husky voice tipped her over the edge and suddenly her chest felt tight and there was a faint pressure between her legs. 'I...you...Khushi...' Arnav growled breaking the kiss as he dragged his mouth from hers as he bit the tender skin just below her ear, then flicking her earlobe with his tongue making Khushi squirm in the process.
His breathing was as heavy as her own, his gaze intense as he pulled back and stared into her eyes 'Khushi...have you got any idea how in love I am with you...' he whispered, torn as he struggled to maintain control over his emotions wanting desperately to ask her to be his for life but at the same time trying hard to control the physical desire to be with her and break contact in order to maintain his sanity for the moment.
Arnav pulled back as he tried to steady his breathing, 'Khushi, you must be hungry...' he said. Instantly Khushi's eyes fell on his lips, and Arnav chuckled, '...for food!' he said as Khushi blushed in the knowledge that she had been caught as Arnav took her hand in his still smiling. 'I have arranged for dinner to be brought up to us as I thought you might be tired, but if you want, we can go down to one of the restaurants if you prefer' he suggested. Khushi shook her head; the last thing she wanted right now was the presence of other people, 'No, let's go with what you planned' she said. Arnav nodded as he called the butler allocated to their suite and asked for the meal to be brought to them. After he finished, Arnav took Khushi's hand and led her to the sofa and sat her down. 'It'll take them a little while to deliver the food, so we can talk...Khushi, what did you want to tell me' he asked quietly.
Khushi smiled and nodded, she had been waiting all day to tell him news, 'Arnav, Amina Rizwi called me today and I met with her over lunch this afternoon which I why I couldn't call you back after the meeting and we kept missing each other. Anyway, she said that someone who had applied for finance this year had withdrawn their project and as a result, she can give me funding for Jaleebi Junction if I put in an application proposal before the end of the week,' Khushi paused for breath, 'Arnav, there's a condition, she said if my application is approved, then I have to make sure that Jaleebi Junction starts operation this year...otherwise I'll lose the money.' Arnav nodded, pretty standard conditions he thought to himself.
Khushi took a deep breath.
'Arnav... Amina said that she thought I'll have a better chance of making this a success if we open Jaleebi Junction in Lucknow... and not Delhi,' she said quietly.
Arnav's eyes flared as he quickly processed her words and their implications; Jaleebi Junction in Lucknow would mean Khushi would be in Lucknow.
Away from him.
Arnav instantly saw red.
'Khushi...NO!!!' he roared.
Are we surprised... shocked...hmmm 😆
Come on reactions please...😳😳
and dont say you wanted a longer chapter pleassseee... this is two chapters merged and is almost 3000 words!
Naina😳
chapter 53: http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3243081&PID=67704702�
Edited by warriorprincess - 11 years ago
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