~:OS - When You Come Home - Thank You MSG's P4:~

When You Come Home

Khanak looked at her reflection in the mirror whilst running her fingers through her hair. She had left it down today after the longest time, just how he liked it. Two demanding babies didn't leave her with much time to herself, so she normally just tied it up in a ponytail as it was less hassle to look after. She smiled as she looked over at Naina and Arjun, both of whom were sleeping peacefully in their cots. It was a rare sight, as usually one would be awake whilst the other was sleeping. Knowing it probably wouldn't last long, Khanak had made the most of the opportunity and used the time to pamper herself and get ready. Shantanu was coming home today and she wanted to look her best! She sometimes worried that he'd think she had let herself go, though both Khushboo bhabi and Mummiji told her she had nothing to worry about. They were right of course, he practically worshipped the ground she walked on! She glanced at her watch... 4pm! Why isn't he here yet? she thought to herself frowning. Just then her mobile began to ring and she got up to retrieve it from the table behind her. Her heart leapt as she saw his name flashing on the screen and she quickly pressed the button to answer the call!

"Shantanu! Where are you?! I've been waiting ages! You said you would be here by 3pm at the latest!" she said without pausing for breath.

"Itni betaabi Khanak?" he said teasingly and chuckled. Khanak blushed at having been caught, but she was eager to meet him... it felt like ages since she had last seen his handsome face.

"Waise tumhara haal samaj sakta hoon mein..." Shaan continued, his voice taking on a flirtatious tone.

"Just answer the question!" she demanded a little louder than anticipated, followed by a quick glance at the children to make sure she hadn't disturbed them

"What? I'm being serious! I can understand how you're feeling because I feel like that too!"

"So...?"

"So... what?"

"So where are you?!" Khanak said exasperated as she walked over to the window.

"Oh yeah! Ummm, that's the reason for my call..." he hesitated. "I won't be able to come until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she repeated, the disappointment evident in her voice. "But why?"

"You know how it is. Sometimes the recording messes up and they want me to redo an entire section. I'm really sorry Khanak."

"It's ok..." she said dejectedly. "It's not your fault. But I really wish you could be here with me right now..." She was trying not to sound too upset.

"Is that so?"

"Yes of course... I really miss you Shantanu." she replied with her eyes downcast, feeling more miserable by the second.

"I've missed you too." he whispered in her ear, his warm breath caressing her face.

"Shantanu!" she gasped in surprise and looked up to confirm whether he really was there, his reflection in the window proof that she wasn't imagining him. She spun around to see him grinning at her widely and hugged him tightly, elated that he was here at last! She had been so engrossed in her disappointment that she hadn't noticed he had entered the room, nor had she realised that his voice was a lot nearer to her than she thought.

"Wow Khanak, you really did miss me!" Shaan muffled into her hair, hugging her back and savouring the feeling of having her in his arms once again. She pulled away from him - just enough so she could see his face - and said "That wasn't funny by the way!"

"Maybe not, but it was definitely worth it to see your reaction!" he grinned looking down at his beautiful wife and kissed her lightly on her nose. She punched him playfully on his chest and grinned back, happy to have him back home.

"I love you."

"I love you too... all three of you!" Shaan said as he turned to look at his little angels. "How long have they been asleep for?" he asked letting go of her and covering the short distance to their cots.

"A couple of hours, they'll be up soon for their food." she replied joining him.

"They've grown! I hate being away from them, I always feel like I've missed out on so much!" he sighed as he bent down to give each one a kiss.

"But you won't anymore right? The company are still going ahead with the studio in Mumbai...?" Khanak asked hopeful.

"Yes they are! I'm so glad i'll be able to spend more time with you all! And just think Khanak... from now on i'll be here with you every night... we can make up for lost time!" he winked at her and then laughed when she blushed. He loved that she still got embarrassed over such things... she looked so cute when she did. Khanak meanwhile began to rearrange the cuddly toys that sat on the bedside table, trying to hide the small smile playing on her lips. Boy was he in for a surprise!

"I've got a present for you!" Shaan announced and made his way towards the hallway outside their bedroom. He had left them outside the room as bringing them in with him would surely have ruined his plan to surprise Khanak.

"Again? You don't have to buy something for us every time you go away on business you know."

"I know, but I like to. When I'm missing you and the kids, having the presents with me gives me some comfort and somehow makes the distance a little easier." he explained as he placed the bags on the end of the bed and began taking the children's presents out. Khanak smiled at his reasoning, it must be difficult for him to be away for weeks on end... at least she had the twins to occupy her.

"This is for you." He handed her a box hoping she'd like it. Khanak untied the ribbon, lifted the lid and took out her gift... it was a stunning off-white Anarkali style outfit with elaborate light gold embroidery and a deep pink odhani.

"So do you like it...?" he asked expectantly, wondering whether she had picked up on the significance of the design.

"Do I like it?! Shantanu I love it! It's so beautiful!" she gushed! "Thank you! But..."

"But what?"

"I think it may be too small... after having the children, I've put on weight." She held the outfit up against her as she said this, hoping it wasn't the case.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Shaan replied looking at her tiny frame, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"No really I have... everyone says so!" They didn't say anything of the sort, but this was a good opportunity to find out what Shantanu thought.

"Khanak, it's normal for a woman to gain weight once she has children, its all part of th--"

"Kya?!" she exclaimed cutting him off mid-sentence. "That means you think I have!" Khanak wailed accusingly, looking at her somewhat bewildered husband in despair.

"No that's not what I meant! Besides, even if you ha--"

"I knew it!" she interrupted again pouting at him, her doubts coming to the forefront of her mind. "You probably think I've let myself go! And I bet you don't even find me attractive anymo--"

This time she was interrupted mid-sentence as his lips came crushing down on hers taking her by surprise! She was mildly annoyed that he hadn't let her finish what she was saying, but that was very quickly forgotten as he began to take over her senses and she started to respond to his kiss, losing herself in the moment. "Any doubt left in your mind about what I think...?" he murmured after some time, breaking the spell. Khanak shook her head, embarrassed by her little outburst and wondered why the thought had ever crossed her mind.

"You're more beautiful to me now than you've ever been... not only are you my wife, but you're the mother of my children. You embody everything I've ever wanted or will ever need... you're perfect as you are." The warmth of his body enveloped her as he kept his arms around her, but it was the sincerity of his words that warmed the depths of her heart.

"Burthal!" he chuckled teasingly. Before she had a chance to say anything, he began to kiss her again... softly at first but as the kiss deepened, so did his desire for more. He had missed her so much! And had been waiting for this day since he went away, the five weeks a complete torture for him. Judging by the way Khanak was reciprocating, she had missed him in equal measure! No time like the present he thought to himself, not thinking of the practicalities and decided he didn't want to wait any longer...

"Gah!"

"Hmm? Did you say something Khanak?" Shaan whispered distractedly, not really paying much attention to the noise. Khanak began to pull away... he didn't want her to and tried to close the gap.

"Gah!" He heard it again, this time clearly!

Khanak giggled, she knew this would happen. "Looks like the perfect opportunity for you to make up for lost time!" she laughed quoting his earlier comment. By now the spell was completely broken and even though Shaan had been waiting to be with her impatiently, he was happy to wait a little longer if it meant he could finally spend some time with his children... he was just as eager to meet them too after all!

"Looks like this will have to wait until tonight!" Shaan released his hold on her, his voice heavy with a promise of what was to come. He walked over excitedly to see which of the two had woken up. It was Arjun, who had managed to manoeuvre himself to the edge of his cot and was trying his level best to wake Naina up too with his outstretched hand.

"Hey there buddy! What are you trying to do?" Shaan laughed as he bent down to pick his son up. Arjun's face lit up at seeing his Daddy and he immediately put his small chubby hands up to Shaan's face and began to babble something against his father's cheek. Must be his version of a kiss Shaan thought amused and thoroughly enjoyed his son's antics for the next few minutes. His heart filled with joy every time Arjun gave him a look that clearly showed how happy he was to have his Daddy home. Holding him firmly, Shaan pretended to chuck Arjun up in the air several times and was rewarded with fits of laughter, confirming that his son was enjoying this game immensely. Needless to say, the noise the duo were making was enough to wake Naina up who began to cry at having been disturbed. Khanak, who had been silently watching and enjoying the double-act got up to pick Naina up when Shaan stopped her.

"Let me Khanak." was all he said as he passed Arjun to his mother and walked over to his daughter. "Hello princess, what's the matter?!" Naina's crying subsided a little and she looked up at the person before her with big beautiful eyes. They're just like Khanak's! Shaan thought to himself for the umpteenth time since she had been born. I'll have to keep her away from all the boys when she's older! He suddenly felt very protective over her. Naina had stopped crying now and a smile spread across her face as the realisation that her Daddy was here took over. She outstretched her arms indicating that she wanted him to pick her up. Shaan complied immediately and was rewarded with a similar welcome to the one Arjun gave him. A feeling of immense happiness and calm washed over him... This is what life's all about he thought as looked on at his perfect little family.

The rest of the evening went by in a frenzy of activity. The four of them had stayed upstairs a little while longer playing and having fun until the children started to get restless due to their feed time approaching. Once they had reached downstairs, they were met with sounds of excitement as both Khushboo and Madhavi took a child each and began to play with them. Shaan looked on proudly as they showered love and attention on the twins. Khanak had gone into the kitchen to prepare their food and when she joined them, Akshay and Sunil had also arrived from the office and were meeting Shaan, whom they had not yet seen since his return. Once the children had been fed and everyone had eaten their evening meal, the Khandelwal family once again moved into the living area and resumed playing the kids, each taking turns to pull funny faces and makes childlike noises that meant nothing, but amused Naina and Arjun to no end. Throughout all this, Shaan and Khanak would keep stealing loving glances at each other, both looking forward to spending time together. As the children began to nod off, the focus shifted back to Shaan and his latest business trip. His face lit up as he talked about what he had been doing, and it was obvious to see that he was extremely happy with the way things were going in his chosen career path. They also discussed the latest developments in the Dhulwadi School Project, it was coming along well and the whole family had been supportive of Khanak in this venture of hers.

As the evening drew to a close and everybody starting making their way to their rooms, Khushboo had offered to look after the children for the night. Nudging Khanak and winking at Shaan, she had said that they could probably do with some 'quality time together.' Khanak had blushed profusely at the implication, and Shaan had just grinned grateful for the opportunity. Now they were back in their room and as she prepared for bed, Khanak's eyes fell on the gift Shaan had bought her and was reminded of her outburst earlier. How silly of me! she thought feeling bad. She hadn't even thanked him for the gift properly and had just started rambling like a fool! Shaan came out of the bathroom and went to sit on the bed, patting the space next to him indicating that he wanted her to join him.

"I'm sorry for my little outburst earlier... I don't know what I was thinking." Khanak said apologetically as she walked over. "Just put it down to the fact that I was missing you and the distance had made me go a little crazy." Shaan smiled, she was so cute! He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him causing her to land in his lap.

"It's ok Khanak, Sanjay at work was saying his wife was exactly the same when she had kids. Besides, I can think of plenty of ways in which you can make it up to me!" he said cheekily, his gaze travelling down to rest on her lips before looking her in the eyes again. "As long as you like it..."

"I do, I love it!"

"By the way, did you notice anything about the design...?"

Khanak pondering over this for a few seconds before it dawned on her what he was referring to... it was his latest letter! "I will forever be indebted to your pink odhani, as the sight of it billowing in the wind led me back to you!" Khanak said excitedly then looked at Shaan triumphantly, happy that she had made the connection! Shaan was pleasantly surprised, she had narrated the sentence word-for-word.

"That's right! You were wearing something similar the day I brought you back home for good... it was by far one of the best days of my life... and a new beginning for us. Now that I'm back for good and we're about to begin a new phase in our lives again, it felt like a fitting present somehow." he explained.

Khanak was extremely touched. A wave of emotion swept over her as she looked at the man in front of her, the tears beginning to form in her eyes. How had she ended up marrying him in the most awful of circumstances only for it to turn out like this? Shaan could see how choked she was, but wanted to finish what he was saying.

"That last letter you sent me in which you talked about our first meeting... I can't explain how I felt when I read it. We both know the journey hasn't been a smooth one, but reliving it all through your letter just made me realise how unbelievably lucky I am. Who would have thought it would lead to this?" He was getting a little emotional too, as their journey once again flashed before his eyes.

"I know how you feel... I felt exactly the same way when I read yours." Khanak managed to say.

"Destiny..." Shaan said with absolute certainty in his voice, his hands cupping her face. "We were always meant to be." And with that he closed the gap between them and kissed her once more. Like the one earlier, this one too started as a soft and gentle kiss. But as their hunger for more took over, their kisses became more passionate. Khanak's hands had made their way into his hair and he had gently positioned her off his lap and onto the bed. He could smell her perfume as he moved towards her neck... it was intoxicating... she was intoxicating! Both were completely lost in the moment...

Knock knock! They heard the sound coming from the other side of the door and stopped. Both looked at each other to see if the other had heard it too... reluctantly coming out of their reverie.

Knock knock! The noise for a second time confirmed that someone was waiting for them to open the door.

"Coming!" the annoyance was evident in Shaan's voice. "Some things never change." he muttered and moved towards the door. It better not be Harilal! he thought to himself. Khanak sat up and regained some composure, smiling because she knew what was coming... Shaan opened the door to find Khushboo and Akshay standing there with apologetic looks on their faces, holding a baby each.

"Sorry chotey but the kids have woken up and aren't settling down with us. We've been trying for the past hour and now they're getting a little irritated." Akshay explained. Shaan looked at the cheeky smiles on both the twin's faces upon seeing him and his annoyance began to evaporate.

"I forgot to mention... the children are going through a phase where they wake up around midnight and want to play!" Khanak quipped from behind him. Shaan looked back and gave her a 'You're not getting away so easily' look before turning forward again and taking Naina, whilst Khushboo went over to Khanak and passed her Arjun. She whispered sorry as she did so and Khanak told her not to worry. Both said their goodbyes and left, closing the door behind them. Shaan walked over to where Khanak and Arjun were and sat down next to them smiling at the twins before saying,

"So you forgot to mention this to me huh?!"

Khanak giggled, looking at him innocently. "It completely slipped my mind. What can I do? They're just so stubborn... like their Daddy."

"You're no less!" he jabbed her playfully with his elbow causing both of them to laugh. The twins watched this exchange and laughed too, all signs of sleep and irritability now gone.

"You know something Shantanu? When you come home, everything feels... so right... so complete!" Khanak sighed with happiness and rested her head on his shoulder. "For me too..." came Shaan's simple reply as he tilted his head sideways so that it touched hers. They stayed like this for several seconds, unknowingly creating a moment that was worthy of being captured forever... the image of their picture perfect family.