Chapter 23
She sat on her chair, still a bit dazed at his response. Her husband was way too blunt sometimes for his own good! Even though he didn't say much, whatever he said left her either embarrassed or elated- ok maybe that was a weird combination' Of everything that he could think of, he thought she was watching a bunch of people doing it? Seriously!
She looked at the time on her desktop and realized they only had around five hours before they would have to make it to the airport. Did her husband arrange all this? That didn't seem to make sense since the confirmation email was sent from her mom's e-mail account, which meant her parents must have booked everything. Deciding to solve this mystery the easy way and to thank them, she picked up the phone and called her mom.
After an hour of catching up on the whole town's gossip, she hung up the phone and her eyes looked up at the man, sitting on the other side of the glass wall, frantically typing something on his laptop while his mouth moving just as fast on the phone. She smiled at the sight in front of her. He had done all this so that they could go away for a while. Actually cross that- he had done this so that they could both go visit her parents and stay with them for awhile. Her heart fluttered madly, her thoughts running back to the past couple of months. Arnav marrying her, Arnav accompanying her to her parents' house, Arnav bringing her to work with him everyday, Arnav helping her when she was hurt. It had only been a couple of days ago when he had told her that he loved her but for some reason, it felt like forever. Maybe it was because she had always been able to see the love shining in his eyes when he was around her. She wasn't ignorant to not notice when his body language had changed around her. Perhaps, it was almost a few days after they had got married. The day she had got stabbed?
She knew it was normal for him to be frantic over what had happened that day however, since that day, she had noticed the change in him. If she was in physical pain, she could see him go through the mental torture himself. If she was restless at night, he would stay up till she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. He may not say much to her, but his actions spoke louder than words. Above all, she couldn't believe he had decided to drop everything for a week just to go stay with her family. He barely even spent that much time with his own family. His bonding time with his own family was mainly at dinner time on the dining table which lasted for about an hour or so. After that, he got back to his own life, and so did everyone else. His Nani was a huge devotee and she spent most of her time praying or going for long walks, trying to keep herself active. If she had spare time, it was spent either in the kitchen cooking something or catching up with their relatives in India and the rest of the world.
The only person that was a bit of a mystery was his sister. Khushi wasn't too sure what she did all day. Her and Shyam didn't have any kids, Anjali didn't work and in a western country, there wasn't as much house work to do as there was in India, where you had to clean almost every day. She had never really heard about any of Anjali's friends and she didn't seem to have much of a social circle. Infact, when Khushi was going through her bank and credit card statements, she realized that Anjali didn't even spend much except on her clothing. She was a designer freak for western wear and her Indian wear was just as expense. There was rarely any coffee, restaurant or other activity charges. Maybe, I should stay home one day with Anjali Di to see what she does... Who knows, I might get used to the easy life, she laughed inwardly at her own thoughts, even though she knew she would never be able to do it.
Maybe after we have kids, she thought and her eyes roamed over Arnav's face. But to have kids, there is a process involved which requires a bit of work; she thought amusedly even though her heart knew that it wouldn't take much to cross that barrier. He didn't even have to touch her to make her feel all fuzzy and she wondered if that was how people in love felt. She was never the mushy mushy kind and to her love was all about honesty, trust, respect and understanding between two people which she knew they both had achieved in their relationship.
He had been honest about his feeling towards her and about the foundation of their relationship. The amount of relief that she had felt when Arnav had told her that he had nothing to do with breaking her relationship with Karan, was something she couldn't quite explain to anyone. Not even him. It had almost been a burden that she had been carrying with her, wondering why Karan would have ditched her like that and finding out that it was Karan's own problems and nothing to do with her, had lowered the invisible wall that she had created around herself which was holding her to move forward with Arnav.
She trusted him, with all her being. He probably didn't even need to explain himself and just one look from him, would give her any answer that she ever needed from him. The man had the most expressive features she had ever seen in a person: the way a few creases would appear in the middle of his forehead when he loved something she did, the way his one eyebrow slightly rose when he was amused at something she had done or said, the way his jaw twitched when he wasn't too impressed, the way his eyes darkened when he was livid. This was the man she was going to spend her life with and she knew it was time to move on from everything. It was time to express herself freely with him - what she felt about him, what she thought about him, what she wanted from him- Everything. He had given her every right over him and she needed to reciprocate the feelings too. One sided relationships never worked and hers was no different. Above all, this is what every girl, including her, wanted. A loving husband who would walk beside her through their whole life- not leading and not following, but side by side.
She respected this man, who at the mere age of 27, had taken his dad's local business to an international level. He had made his own life after his parent's death and had provided himself and Anjali a very comfortable living. Various donations that he made each month to different organizations hadn't gone unnoticed by her while she had prepared each month's financials for him. He supported children in need, he donated money to the third world countries to get clean water and basic sanitation and to many other charities that she had never even been aware of in her life. And the thing that she respected the most about him was that, he respected her and treated her just as equal to himself. If she wasn't feeling well, he would cook, clean, do laundry and anything else that needed to be done. He went over any major mergers or other legal/financial matters related to AR and asked for her input before making decisions.
And above all, this man understood her. What she was thinking, what she wanted to do, her confusions, her insecurities, he understood everything and amazed her that men like this existed in the real world. They certainly did. What she had expected from Karan as a husband, Arnav had given her double of that and till now, she wasn't even aware that someone could be so giving without expecting much in return and she felt her eyes moistening. Blinking away the tears, she rested her elbows on the table, her hands under her chin and looked at her husband.
This is what love was for her and according to her definition of it; she was in love with that man. However, the warm fuzzy feelings that she was starting to feel when he was around, was something else. Something she didn't really believe in but that devil of a husband of hers was definitely doing something weird to her.
She was in no mood to work anymore and she, for once, couldn't wait to spend some time alone with him. Talking about anything and everything openly with him, if he would talk that is. When her eyes focused back on his face, she noticed his movements stop for a second, before he looked up at her. Giving her a grin, he opened his mouth in an 'O' and gave her one of the most sexiest winks that she had probably seen to date and she burst out laughing.
The next few hours were a blur as they rushed home, packed whatever they had in their bags and drove back to the airport. Nani was genuinely happy to see them leave whereas Khushi hadn't been able to understand Anjali's expressions. For some reasons, she seemed a little low and not being able to resist, she asked Arnav if Anjali was ok with them leaving on such a short notice like that.
"Khushi... that is our house. We are grown ass adults and we don't need to seek permission anymore before going away or doing things" he told her, amused. Scowling at him, she took her seat in the plane and put her IPod on. Ok so what if she was used to asking for her parent's permission when she went out of the country? Didn't mean she wasn't an adult! And on top of that, it was his sister that seemed to be a bit off!
Huffing, she pulled out her latest James Patterson book and started reading, while Arnav quietly sat in his seat and shifted around.
"Someone's a bit pissy" he stated while he pulled a magazine out and started flipping through the pages. When she didn't acknowledge what he said, he looked at her from the corner of his eyes and noticed the earbuds. Knowing that she probably wasn't going to look at him, he pulled one of the earphones out while she turned her head and glared at him.
"I have Pteromerhanophobia"
"You have what?" she asked, a little confused. What the hell was Pteromerhanophobia? Ok some sort of a phobia she guessed but what kind of phobia did this 6 foot, well built, fearless man have?
"Pteromerhano'."
"I heard you the first time Einstein but what the hell is that?" she asked pulling her blackberry out, ready to turn it off.
"Google it" he replied while returning to his magazine.
"I don't have enough time for that. Didn't you just hear the crew telling us to switch off our electronic devices?"
"Fine. I am scared of flying" he responded while she looked at him stupefied.
"Excuse me?" she whispered still baffled over what he had just said. He had never flown before? Oh shit! Why hadn't he said anything before?
"Excused."
Wondering what to do next, she looked towards the entrance of the plane and noticed the crew lady shutting the door and moving back to put her seatbelt on. Crap! They probably couldn't get off anymore? Why had he waited till now to say something? Did he go everywhere by car before this? Maybe he did. There was nothing really wrong with it. Most of the travelling in AR did seem to be done by the managers whereas Arnav was usually always in the office. She had thought it was more so or less because he didn't want to leave Nani at home alone but she had no idea that this man was scared of flying!
"Are you claustrophobic too?" Oh wait, he couldn't be since he took the elevator up to the office every morning.
"No"
Shit! Shit! Shit! What were they going to do now? She looked around and noticed that the seats next to them were empty and they were in nobody's vision. Phew! Atleast nobody will see him puking I guess, she thought while fishing through her purse to take out the ziplock bag that the airport security had given her to put her liquids in since he probably wouldn't be allowed to go to the bathroom during takeoff.
This should do, she mumbled to herself before she handed him the bag and he looked at her confused.
"You can puke in this" she explained the obvious and he tried hard not to laugh. All of a sudden she felt a jerk from the plane and her eyes widened in horror realizing this was it.
"The problem is that I can't throw up Khushi and I just feel absolutely sick unless I can somehow distract myself" he replied, giving her the bag back.
Ok this wasn't as bad as she had thought. She took her earphones out and put the buds in his ear and put on some hardcore rap for him. All this swearing should keep him distracted, she thought but when she looked up at him, his face was starting to twist in pain.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Is there any way I can help? Crap! What can I do to distract you?" she asked, while she took hold of one of his hands and started rubbing it furiously between hers. Then it struck her! She knew what she could do! She was a woman after all and if she couldn't use her femininity in such tough times, then when was she going to use it? Pulling out the earplugs from his ear, she put the IPod away and moved closer to him. She looked around and noticing that the coast was clear and she gently took hold of his face in her hands. Her right thumb caressed his cheek while she moved her left hand into his hair. Noticing his eyes starting to lose focus, she gently rubbed her thumb along his bottom lip, learning the texture and feeling the softness of it. She felt the plane speeding on the runway and soon taking off, but she kept her eyes on his. His hands moved up and were now holding her wrists lightly and his gaze hadn't faltered. The slight creases on his forehead told her she was doing just fine. Ok good this is working! she mentally patted herself while moving her face closer to his, and touching the tip of his nose with hers. Her own breathing faltered and her hands shook and she didn't know why. He had kissed her before... actually they had done more than that and she had even asked him to kiss her so why was she so nervous all of a sudden? Maybe because she had initiated all this?
Finally, the seatbelt sign came off and she realized they were safe in the air. She dropped her hands from his face and moved back, grinning.
"It worked!" she screamed, clapping her hands, absolutely delighted while he looked a tad bit offended.
"What worked?" he asked, the answer to his own question sinking in quite well with him.
"My distraction process! Are you feeling fine now?" she asked and looking at that delighted look on her face, he wish he could just kiss her senseless.
"Khushi, I have a phobia of flying. Not takeoffs. It lasts the whole time I am in a plane" he replied while her face dropped.
"Oh" she apologized. Ok that plan was a flop, she needed to think of something better that would last around eight hours but she didn't have to think much when his voice interrupted her.
"There is one way you can help me" and the relief in her eyes made his heart swell. Her eyes widened and her ears perked up, ready to do whatever he wanted her to and she waited for him to explain further. He leaned back in his chair and cocked one eyebrow at her, while she looked on confused. His eyes bored into hers and then moved down to her lips and moved back up and her mouth flew open in an 'O' when she realized what he was suggesting.
"You want me to kiss you on a plane? Are you crazy something?" she asked absolutely embarrassed. She was not a PDA kind of a person and she was definitely not going to do any such thing.
"Crazy something? Where did you learn your English from?" he asked while she looked slightly offended now.
"My mom!"
"Oh" was all he could reply but the next second his face twisted in pain and all her 'offensiveness' flew out the plane window when she moved forward to grab his face.
"Whenever me or my brother did something wrong' my mom always used to say 'you crazy something'' As seriously as she would say it, we would all burst out laughing since she could never get herself to say 'crazy or something'. Anyways that's beyond the point. Now what do we do?" she asked frantically, wondering what kind of options they had at this point and in the process of her trying to turn the small TV screen on and put on a movie, she noticed the slight change. While she pushed away at buttons all the while looking back at him to see if he was doing ok, he crossed his arms against his chest and looked at her flustered face, absolutely enjoying it all.
"You know the other option is still available" he reminded her, getting a glare in response and all of a sudden her movements stopped as something in her brain clicked. Her face whipped back towards his and she noticed the smug look on his face.
"Are you kidding me?" she asked fully knowing that he didn't even have to answer the question but when he grinned and shook his head in a yes, she attacked him.
"You ass! Here I was so worried, almost ready to talk to one of the attendants and maybe request an emergency landing while you are sitting here grinning as if you just won an Oscar!" she spat while her fists pounded on his chest, suddenly not too pleased with him.
When he realized that she wasn't going to stop, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards him, her face inches away from his. His hands left her wrists and before she could move back, he took hold of her face and clamped his lips shut with hers. He tasted her, teased her and coaxed her to open herself to him. She let out an involuntary whimper and could feel him smirk as he pressed his mouth a little firmer against hers. His lips moved achingly slow over hers and she closed her eyes taking in the feel of his hands gently caressing her back while his lips drove her senseless.
"You're so slow sometimes" he half chuckled and half mumbled against hers lips but the next instant, her head moved back and she looked at him accusingly.
"Accha? If I am that slow, then move away and go find yourself someone whose wheels are on fire" she replied, while pulling her IPod out again and getting back to her book, while he stared at her. Something seemed to be bit different with her, he thought and it took a few minutes for him to realize: She hadn't protested at him kissing her in a public place like this and like always, her face hadn't turned beet red in embarrassment either.
They definitely needed this vacation he wondered how come he hadn't thought of this before. He needed some alone time with her, away from everything, without any distractions. He needed to show her the power she had over him, the fire that she lit in him. This woman, who had changed his meaning of life, was soon going to be shown a whole different side of Arnav Singh Raizada- a side that no one had seen to date.
He looked at her, his eyes full of amusement, while she kept her angry faade on. Leaning closer, he whispered something in her ear and leaned back in his seat. It took a few seconds for his words to sink in and he noticed the all so familiar blush creep up her cheeks while she tried to keep her eyes glued on her book; his husky voice still ringing in her ears.
"Oh, trust me babe, you can just look at me and light me up in flames. I don't need any more fire than that"
All her thoughts of spending some alone time and learning new things about him flew out the window. How could something that he said so simply sound so damn erotic and make her insides feel like jelly? Screw days, how was she going to get through the next seven hours?
All of a sudden, she wasn't too sure anymore.
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