Arshi OS: Childhood Love

OS: Childhood Love

Arnav stood outside the overly decorated house for his friend's wedding. "Kamal hai yaar, people go through such lengths just for a wedding?" He said to his cousin Akash who leaned against the car, equally bored.

"Ek aur dost...done." Akash said in a pitiful way for their friend and Arnav casually nodded in accordance. He sat down on the steps and pushed the sleeves of his black kurta up to his elbows. "Ab kya? Just sit around?"

Arnav's sister Anjali came out in a green sari, telling the guys to come in as the bride was going to make her entrance. "Ouuu! So exciting!" Arnav said in a mocking voice and rolled his eyes at Akash as they went in.

Everyone crowded on the main floor and kept their gaze on the top of the stairs where a bunch of girls were running back and forth, doing last minute preparations. Finally the bride arrived at the top of the stairs with several girls around her. Music started to play and everyone's eyes were fixated on the special girl of the day. Everyone's except Arnav because his eyes were elsewhere. Next to the bride was a girl whom he thought was the most beautiful person he's ever seen.

She was dressed in a gorgeous fuchsia colored lehenga choli with a matching gold beaded vest like top. Her mid-length hair was simple in its straightened form but pulled to the side. Arnav literally could not take his eyes off her. She was just beyond beautiful. He watched as she gracefully made her way down and helped the bride sit on the royal-like throne next to her groom.

Khushi was standing next to her seated sister Payal and talking to their friends when she saw a guy who looked about her age walking towards them. She was a little taken aback at first. She could have sworn that he was staring at her for a few seconds before he moved his attention to the groom and stood next to him, patting his shoulder.

Khushi didn't want to think anything of it so she turned around and ignored his presence. She looked back again when she felt a hand tug at her vest. Payal pulled her arm down so she could whisper something into her ear. Khushi leaned foreward and had a smile grow on her lips as she heard her sister's demand.

Arnav almost lost all control when he saw her lean over and have her cleavage exposed. All he wanted was to talk to her...maybe kiss her too but a conversation would be enough. He was about to say something to his friend when this beautiful goddess interrupted him and took the hand of his friend to pull him to the dance floor. Raja stood there and struggled to go back as Khushi and all her friends kept pushing him back to the centre of the dance floor.

He finally gave in and danced a couple minutes before he put his hands together to plead for the girls to stop pushing him. Khushi grabbed onto Raja's arm when another hand clamped down on hers. "I think you should respect what the groom wants. It's his special day - when it's yours, you can do whatever you want," Arnav said with a smirk and Khushi stared at him with a blank face.

Raja went back to sit down and meanwhile these two were having a stare off. She was about to turn on her heals and walk away when Arnav grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. She gasped because she was so close to a man she didn't even know and not to mention everyone was staring at them. She forcefully pulled her arm away and left the place.

"Preet!" Khushi called for one of her friends as she went around the unfamiliar house. It was night by this time and she had tried everything to stay away from that inappropriate boy who was trying to flirt with her. She was looking for the room where their stuff was to get the necklace gift that she got for Payal. She opened the door of one room on the main floor but on the other side of the house where there was no one and noticed it was where all the bags were. She didn't bother turning on the light and went to dig out the red velvet jewelry box.

Arnav was sitting on a chair next to Akash in the corner of the grand room where the wedding was held. He watched without interest as all the girls danced non-stop to all types of songs. He was more concerned with finding the beautiful girl but he had no idea where she'd run off. Then just a couple of feet away from him he saw a young girl who was maybe seventeen or eighteen talking to an older woman who was asking for someone.

****

"Preet where is she? We're going to be leaving soon." The woman said with anxiousness.

"Aunty, she's coming. I think she went to get the gift right now." Preet said and the woman sighed. "Oh Khushi."

Arnav's head snapped towards the two ladies with his full attention when the older one said "Khushi." He froze in his position and his eyes wandered to nothing in particular as memories started resurfacing in his mind. 'Khushi,' he wondered a bit breathless and immediately got up and started searching the house.

He was making his rounds up and down. When he found all the rooms upstairs either locked or empty, he came back to the main floor. Again, most rooms were either locked or empty but one had an open door. He walked through the dark hallway and went inside. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness so what he saw was a girl sitting on a bed with her back to him, wrapping something in shiny paper.

Of course it wasn't any girl. It was the girl he had lost all his thoughts to. He felt like he could notice her from anywhere now - even in the dark. He quietly knocked on the door and she slightly turned her head but didn't look fully.

"Preet, mama isn't looking for me right? I hope you told her I'm getting the gifts. In any way, it's your fault. How long ago I told you to come with me and in the end I had to find the things by myself."

Arnav very quietly walked towards her and saw how some of her leg was exposed as she sat with one leg folded on the bed thus pulling up her skirt a bit. How he wanted to just extend his hand and touch her milky and smooth looking arms but of course, he kept his control.

"Preet, have you gone mute?" Khushi said as she turned her head this time and saw Arnav standing just a few inches away. She jumped off the bed leaving the gift half unwrapped.

"You? Again?" She said with furrowed eyebrows and Arnav noticed the triangle bit of navel that was exposed with the rest of her torso being covered by the gold vest. "You're Khushi?" He asked with such high hopes and she folded her arms over her chest.

"That's really none of your business so..." She didn't know how to finish her sentence but opted out for just leaving the room altogether. She was completely startled when he grabbed her arm as she tried to walk past and plastered her against the wall covering her mouth with his palm so she doesn't scream.

"Nod your head if you're Khushi," he said quietly and she finally did just that. Arnav's heart swelled with happiness. So she was Khushi. His Khushi from so many years ago but different circumstances in their lives created distance between them. He removed his hand and stroked her jaw with the back of his fingers. He finally let them cup the curve between her jaw and her neck. He took in all her features - even in the dark she was just glowing. He looked at her beautiful wide eyes, her plump cheeks, her sharp jawline, and finally her lips that were slightly parted.

He inched his face closer to her while staring her in the eyes. Khushi on the other hand felt like she might faint if she continued breathing so quickly. He was so close his chest was almost against her bosoms. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. Why was he staring at her like that? If only there was more room behind her, she definitely would have moved her head away but there wasn't so she was actually scared of the close proximity.

With one hand flat on the wall by her head and the other still around her neck, he finally did what he no longer could resist. He closed the distance and placed his lips against her soft and plump ones and once they made contact, he just simply couldn't move back.

Khushi gasped but only ended up sucking air from his mouth. She tried to push his chest away but he simply wouldn't let go. He moved his other hand to cup her neck fully and took full pleasure in kissing her. Khushi tried to keep her lips shut but when she quietly cried in pain as he bit her bottom lip, they opened and he thrust his tongue in. Forgetting that he was a man whose name she didn't even know, she surrendered and made her hands up to his shoulders as she clutched on them trying to keep her balance as well as pull him closer.

She abruptly pulled her head away when she heard someone calling for her. It sounded like Preet's voice. "Preet! Don't come in! I'm fixing my dress. I have the gift so I'll come in just two minutes." Khushi called out and waited for her friend to reply with "okay" when she let out a sigh of relief then looked at the man in front of her with disgust. She pushed at him again and this time he actually fell back a step.

"What the hell are you doing? Have you absolutely no shame? I'm engaged!" She hissed at him and Arnav's face changed to a surprised expression. "Engaged?" He asked and looked down at her left hand. A grand smile grew on his lips when surely enough he saw the very same silver band that he's given her so many years ago when they were kids except now it was on her pinky since it didn't fit on any other finger.

He wiped his smile for a second and looked back up at her. "To who?" He asked and she clenched her jaw. "None of your business. Who the hell are you to ask me such a personal question?" She said through clenched teeth.

He took a step close to her again and before she could react he leaned his head down a bit to whisper in her ear. "I've been waiting for you for a long time Rajkumari," he whispered in her ear and when he looked back to see her reaction he saw nothing short of complete shock. Khushi's eyes were wide open and she wasn't even breathing. It was once he broke into his charming smirk when she let her breath out. "Arnav," she said breathlessly and he smiled.

She threw her hands around his neck to hug him and when she pulled back, she touched his face all over, not believing the miracle. "Where have you been this whole time?"

"Unknowingly searching for you," he said and Khushi let out a tear filled laughed and he surely noticed her eyes glistening with tears. "You kept up our promise," he said as he took her left hand in his and pointed at the ring.

"It's a promise after all, how could I break it?" She said and flashed a marvelous smile of hers. Arnav cupped her face once again before he pulled her in for a big bear hug. They had spent far too long apart from each other but he was delighted to know that his proposal from when they were nine was still in tact.

"Khushi! Jaldi karo!" They heard someone yelling for her this time and she moved away for real. She taped the last edge of the wrapping paper on the gift and looked at Arnav, taking his hand in hers, before heading out. "What now?" She asked.

"What do you think? Tomorrow I'll come to finish what I started." He grabbed her nape and kissed her once again on her lips before watching her leave the room with an unwavering smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whether it was good or bad, tell me what you think!! 😃

I forgot to post this earlier but this is the lehenga Khushi is wearing. I love it so much!!