Burning in your Love (Parts 14 to 19) - Page 65

It's lovely and so beautifully written!!!! 😍

"You look very handsome, Arnavji. White suits you...", she said, cheerfully, with no idea of the fire she had started in him.

"Really?", he drawled.

"Haan. I have always thought so. You look very good in your white shirts too...", she confided.

"How come you never told me this earlier?", he questioned softly.

"In the beginning I was your employee. You used to shout at me. Then I got promoted to being your contract wife. How could I tell you that you look very good when you wear white, that my breath stops...", she stopped, scenting danger.

"Your breath stops...?", murmured the devil with sharp ears, encouraging her to continue. How come he heard everything he shouldn't?

"Nothing..."

"Tell me."

"No..."

"Khushi, tell me...", he whispered in her ear.

"No...". She looked around, frantic for distraction. "...Not now..."

"Then when?"

"Later...", she tried to appease the demanding dulha.

"At night? When we are alone...?"

"Maybe...", she looked hunted.

He nodded, a calculative look in his eyes, a naughty smile on his lips. "Tonight, Khushi. It is a promise."

"Chotey, Khushiji... There are two hours remaining for the Kanyadaan. Why don't you go up and change your clothes?", asked Anjali.

Arnav sat in front of the havan, Khushi nearby. He looked at her. Khushi now wore a yellow lehenga. He had changed into another sherwani that NK had purchased for him and hidden in his wardrobe.

He looked at her, burning like a flame, looking radiant in her yellow lehenga.

She filled him with peace, maybe because, like her name, she was always happy, contented with what she had. She was his, and he hers, for eternity. That was the only truth that mattered, the truth that even evil had not been able to change. His mind lost in her, he participated in the rites and rituals along with Khushi.

(Thanx, Doodleberry)

Mamaji and Amma wheeled Babuji towards them for the Kanyadaan. Mamaji helped Babuji to perform the rites as per the instructions of the Pundit, helping out, standing as a father to Khushi whenever and wherever Babuji needed help. Together, they placed Khushi's right hand in Arnav's, entrusting Arnav with her life and happiness. Arnav took the hand of his bride and pledged his commitment to ensuring her safety and happiness. Arnav smiled, looking at Khushi. She had always been his to protect. He would not give up that right for anything in the world.

Then it was time for Gathbandhan. A knot was tied in the sacred cloth of the bride and bridegroom and some rice kept in that knot by the priest as a sign of prosperity and sacredness.

As he and Khushi continued with the rituals of aashirwaad, stepping on the stone, laja hom, and Mangal Phera for Dharma, Arth, Kaam, and Moksha, according to the instructions of the Pundit, Arnav looked at the Raizadas and the Guptas. All of them had huge smiles on their faces. There was no fear, no tension, no worry on any of the faces. Because both families had become one. The bonds binding the two families were so strong that he didn't know where one began and the other ended.

(Thanx, -Sunshine-)

Babuji in his wheelchair and Mamaji, both father figures to him. Nani, Buaji, & Amma, wanting only what was best for him and Khushi, loving both of them, unable to choose between Arnav Bitwaa and Titliyaa, Chotey and Khushi Bitiyaa. Di, both mother and sister, whose love for him had expanded to include Khushi into its folds, smiling widely at him, her eyes filled with tears of joy. He looked at her and the same thought passed through their minds. If only Mama were alive today...

Akash, both brother and brother-in-law... The Laxman who followed and protected his Ram... Who would support him blindly, trust him blindly, follow him blindly... His help had been invaluable in routing Shyam.

NK, shooting the event, was laughing with Bubbly at some joke. Mami, whose love for him was greater than her love for money, status, and gold... Who loved him so much that she had accepted Khushi and Payal. Payal, his sister and sister-in-law. Both families were blessed to have her.

They all knew the real him, hidden behind the brusque manner and explosive anger. Even Buaji, Babuji, and Amma knew him. His stay in their house and his taking their help to eliminate Shyam had helped them learn about each other. Arnav Singh Raizada had finally learnt the meaning of family, about taking help along with giving it.