OS 2: Finding Khushi
Part 14
Section 2
Khushi stood petrified for a moment. An yellow rose that someone had gifted her in passing fell from her hand on the floor. Her mouth fell open.
Arnav smiled at her.
Khushi, spurred into action by the intent in his sinful eyes, turned around to leave the room. She raised her hand and unlocked the door, and found herself pressed against the door by his weight at her back.
She shut her eyes tight and struggled to breathe. His hard warmth against the length of her back was more than she could take. She struggled.
Arnav breathed in the fragrance of the flowers being crushed between their bodies.
He ran his fingers up her arm. She shivered. He could feel her trembling in his gentle hold.
Arnav covered her hand with his, and made her fingers lock the door again.
He then caught hold of her shoulder and gently turned her around.
Her eyes were firmly shut to avoid seeing him. The pulse in her throat was throbbing.
He touched the point with his warm finger. Her eyes shot open.
"Keep your eyes open.", he murmured. "I want you to be sure who it is..."
Khushi frowned at him. She pushed him away with great effort.
"You want me to be sure who it is? Why do you think I will mistake you for someone else? Do you think other people behave like you? Pulling my arm, twisting it, pushing me against the wall, looking at me like..., chasing me around the house, hurting me..."
"Did I hurt you?", he crooned, cupping her cheek in his palm.
"...Saying... naughty things, blowing in my ear,... looking through my clothes... You.. You are totally shameless. Do you think others are like you, with no manners?"
Arnav hid his laugh.
"And what are you doing here? Aap jaaiye yahan se!"
Arnav said, swallowing a laugh, "It is my room, Khushi."
"So?", she asked before the absurdity of her demand made itself apparent. She tried to regain lost ground. "I mean, your Mamiji asked me to change my dress here..."
Arnav watched her flustered face with loving eyes.
"It is OK, Khushi. You can undress anytime... in my room..." His voice was soft, his words innocent-sounding, but Khushi looked at him with suspicious eyes.
They stood looking at each other for a while.
Finally, he caught hold of her arm, and gently led her to his bed. He pushed her peach sari away to make room for her. The sari fell to the ground slowly, like mist covering the air on a cold morning.
He made her sit on the bed, and kneeled down in front of her on one knee. He kept her hand in his hold.
"Khushi, I want to talk to you." His face was serious, his eyes direct.
She waited.
"I..I called Lavanya."
Khushi waited. He sighed.
"I told her I was sorry."
"What did Lavanyaji say?"
"She asked me, for what?"
"And what did you say?", Khushi was curious.
"I told her... for shouting at her... for making her cry... for announcing our sagai when I didn't want to get married... to anyone... for cancelling the sagai at the last moment... for making her cry..."
Khushi gulped. "Was Lavanyaji very upset?"
Arnav smiled. "No. She laughed."
"Laughed?" Khushi's mouth was a perfect 'O'.
Arnav nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "She asked me if you had made me apologise to her."
"How did she know?", Khushi was astonished.
"She said that only you could make me do things I didn't want to do...", Arnav said softly.
Khushi looked into his beautiful eyes.
"Coming down for pooja, taking a break during work, fixing lights...", Arnav whispered.
Khushi had nothing to say.
"Even bringing Lavanya back home after she left. Though she did not know that... You wrote that love letter from her, didn't you?"
"How did you know?", Khushi was shocked into asking.
"It had you written all over it! Jumping from a mountain if I didn't love her!!!!", Arnav smiled. "The plants! It must have been your idea to push me out of my office by filling it with plants! No one else can come up with something so... so... effective! And outlandish! And filmy!"
Khushi nodded, trying to avoid his gaze.
"Did Lavanya know about the plants? Or the letter?", Arnav asked out of curiosity.
Khushi shook her head in the negative.
"So you were playing both of us! But...then how did you get the money to buy the plants?", he frowned.
Khushi looked at the floor. "Thankfully, I had a gold kangan on my arm that day. So'"
Arnav stared at her. He couldn't even find the breath to protest. Finally, he said,"Your heart, Khushi! It counts no cost! And your imagination! It is out of control, Khushi. You should be my Marketing Manager!", Arnav smiled.
"I don't want to be your anything!", Khushi said crossly.
"That is not what your Lavanyaji said.", he smirked.
Khushi frowned at him. Now what was he up to?
"She said that I should keep you close to me." His hand left hers, and grasped the bare skin of her waist. She jerked at the warm touch on her sensitive skin. His other hand joined the action. She could not move. Or breathe. Or look into his eyes.
"I told her that I wanted to marry you.", Arnav stated.
Khushi raised worried eyes to his calm ones.
"Lavanya let out a whoop of joy! She said that she always knew that I would realise one day how much I loved you."
Khushi let out a 'Awww' and covered her open mouth with her hand.
"I told her that you were not willing to marry me.", Arnav said simply.
Khushi glared at him.
"She said that she had been certain that you would realise our love first, but apparently she had got that wrong.", he smiled.
Khushi tried to stand up, but his hands on her waist tightened.
"Lavanya said that love is stronger than hate. And that now I had finally realised that I loved you, I should do everything to keep you close to me." He leaned his head against her bosom, listening to her heart race. "I promised her I would. That I would win you and keep you with me all our lives."
Khushi fidgeted, trying to dislodge him, but he was in no mood to let go.
"Lavanyaji is happy?", Khushi asked.
Arnav nodded. "She is going to Paris. To train in dress designing. It is some 6 month course."
"You arranged it.", Khushi said simply.
Arnav liftedhis head and looked at her with surprised eyes. And finally nodded. "She applied through my office in London, where she is working right now. So..."
Khushi nodded.
"She said she will call you."
Khushi nodded, smiling.
"And hoped that you will never forget her."
Khushi smiled.
"I told her you never would. That you had been scolding me non-stop for the past few weeks for behaving badly towards her."
"What did Lavanyaji say?"
"She said, Good!"
Khushi laughed. Arnav had to smile at her open laughter.
"Khushiji! Are you ready? Your parents & Buaji are ready to go home.", Anjali called.
Khushi stammered. "I..I will be out now, Anjaliji!"
"OK.", said the wily Di. "Khushiji, did you see Chotey anywhere?"
Khushi gasped. Arnav smiled, appreciating his Di's sense of humour.
Before Khushi could find a reply, Anjali said with a wicked laugh, "How can you see him? After all, he won't be hanging around when you arechanging your clothes! Don't worry, Khushiji. I will find him."
She left.
Khushi jumped up from the bed.
"Arnavji, please go now. I have to change my clothes."
She tried to push him towards the door.
"Are you sure you don't need help to change, Khushi?", he asked, a devilish smile in his chocolate eyes.
"No!", Khushi gasped. "And don't smile at me!"
"Uuhh?", he asked.
"Don't touch me. Don't look at me. Don't smile at me."
She was having a panic attack in more ways than one.
Arnav smiled. "Oh, your dhak dhak & acidity." His eyes danced.
"Ab aap jaayiye!", she again tried to push him out. But her puny arms were no match for his lean but muscled body.
He pulled her into his arms, holding her close to him, his face lowered to hers.
"I have been a good boy today, Khushi. So what will you give me?", he whispered.
Khushi tried to free herself, keep her face away from his... but...
"A gift.. that no one else knows about... between just the two of us...", his husky murmur ate into all her reserves of control.
She looked into his waiting eyes, the eagerness he couldn't hide, his need to be loved that pulled at her heart strings...
Khushi slowly raised her face and touched his lean cheek with her plump lips.
Arnav shut his eyes in pleasure.
Khushi moved her lips away from his face.
Arnav looked down into her dazed eyes.
"It hurts... your dhaadi...", she mumbled.
Arnav smiled.
He bent his head, and whispered in her ear, "You should have tried my lips. It wouldn't have hurt you..."
Edited by rulama - 12 years ago
10