Khushi?
Khushi?
"Huh?"
Who is calling me this late at night?
Khushi wakes up from her slumber and rubs her face a bit. The dried up tears left a salty train on her left cheek. The corner of the pillow seems damp and wet. She blinks one and then blinks twice. The moon light casted a mysterious gleam on the pillow case. The white pillow case and the one with flowers. She remembers Arnav smirking a the floral pillow case and sheet set. "Why on earth will you put such big flower print on your bed?" Khushi then and there made up her mind that's he will change it, for him, just in case. But now everything is the way she wants, expect of the most important thing that really matters. Her husband. No matter what people say, what people feel, what people think, Arnav Sing Raizada is my husband and nothing else. What we have is pure and concrete. He loves me and I love him.
Khushi?
Khushi?
Khushi literally jumps up from the bed and bumps her head on the side rail. She skips to the window, missing the beats that are supposed to be drumming in her ribcage. Someone seems to be calling. But the reality and her dreams seem to cooperate. She saw him in her dreams just a few minutes ago and now she can hear him calling her. She places her hand on her heart and listens to the beat slowly regain presence. She makes up her mind and wears the pair of slippers lying under her bead. She peeks open form the door and comes out to the living room, crossing the kitchen. There is sound of light snoring from the opposite room. Buaji seems t be sleeping deep.
She tip toes to the opposite room and look into buaji's bed. She and Buaji had a long conversation about when went down in the Raizada house today. How Dadi called Buaji and what she said. The humiliation, the pian and the ill treatment, broke buaji's heart. Khushi felt extremely repentant. No matter how much she tries, things always go wrong and she hurts her family even more. But besides everything negative, everything bad, one thing came out to be good. The secrets behind their marriage are out in the open and relatives now will be by their side.
Beep!
Beep!
Her cell phone vibrates. It is in the living room table drawer. Buaji seized it as a punishment method. She strictly forbid her to call or talk with Arnav. Khushi's heart churns into a knot and her heart stops beating. It is almost 3 in the morning and who can be texting at this point of time? Also the call she just heard in her sleep, and now , was it real? Is someone calling her or is it just a fraction of imagination by her tormented soul?
Khushi whispers in the air, " Arnav ji! I Love you."
Beep!
Beep!
She jumps up at the sudden sound. She makes her mind to disobey buaji's orders and see who is texting. Slowly she grabs the handle of the drawer and brings out the cell.
message # 1
Khushi
message # 2
I cannot stay without you.
Khushi holds her heart steady. Her head spins and she almost loses her grip on the table next to her right. Her feet starts to wobble and she loses balance. The cell phone falls from her hand and land on the table top. Buaji's snoring stops for a minute. Pin drop silence lingers in the living room.
She looks up and then towards the closed door of Buaji's room. A silent prayer leaves her lips.
The snoring resumes in 2 minutes.
She gets her consciousness back by the wet drop falling one by one on her throat and running down merrily on her chest. Her heart flutter sup. The lips make up their mind and join the party. They curl up from the sides and a beautiful, healing smile engulfs her gloomy face. The eyes twinkle in joy and ecstasy. He said he cannot live without me. What? Really? Is it possible?
Khushi reads the both text for around 2o times and hugs the cell phone as if it was Arnav's hands on her She kisses and kisses again and then runs out to her room. "How on earth did I become such a girl that a boy like Arnav Sing Raizada will love me this much? And he will confess this much by a text?"
Beep !
Beep!
message # 3
"open the window"
Khushi drops the phone once more , directly on her foot and it falls into a bump, making her twitch in pain. But at that point nothing mattered. Buaji, babuji, Ammaji, the entire Raizada family, dadi ji, even Shaym the culprit, nothing mattered. No matter who might come, who might see, who might figure out, she just did not care. Khushi ran towards her window and opened it wide. Looked outside and besides the big tree on the porch.
Nothing.
Silence
Emptiness
The night sky seems to mock her reality. What is happening?
Where is he?
The texts, the messages at this time?
She remembers that Arnav came from the back window that night, when everyone was sleeping. She runs to the living room and opens that. She replies back while opening another window.
"Where are you?"
She waits for a few minutes, but gets no reply.
She waits for another minute and texts again.
"Arnav ji, where are you?"
She opens and re reads the messages again. Runs back and forth form her room to the living room and then to the drawing room. But no show. Reluctantly , with a defeated sigh, she whispers:
"Arnav ji?
I cannot stay without you either.
I want you here. I need you. I want you with me , I want you around me. I want you to hold me in your arms. I don't care what anyone else thinks, you love me and that is enough for me . I can give me my entire world just to make you happy.
I love you '' if you love me, just come please.
Arnav ji !"
Khushi opens her eyes and looks around, hoping that by some miracle Arnav will be standing in front of her. But nothing. She looks outside. Yet nothing but a lonely , dark night. Her body craves for his eyes on her. Her heart mourns for his hand son her face. Her eyes yearn for his presence.
Khushi blinks at the phone and with a heavy heart , slumps back on her bed. Holds the phone in both hands and stare at it waiting for it to come to life again. 1 minutes passes, followed by another.
Beep!
Beep!
message # 4
" turn"
Before she could read it the word and understand what to do, where to turn, a set of very strong determined hands grabs her form her back and pulls her feeble body on a hard surface. Claps her into an iron grip and almost slams her on a muscular chest to rest on. She keeps her eyes close, trying to memorize , trying to inhale the musky scent of the beholder, she tried to keep her breathing steady, only to be whisked off into the next second by a confident and firm finger, raising her chin to the surface from his chest. She still keeps her eyes closed, waiting for some unknown heavenly summon. A tear rolls down her cheek, only to be wiped clean and kissed by a pair of soft lips.
Then another tear makes its grand entrance and follows her left chin, again to be wiped clean by the same salty pair of lips. The grip on her waist stiffens. The body drags the last bit of her, away from the floor, sways her up in his lap like a rag doll, dwindling her with ease on his hold. He places her down on his lap and holds her arms up. She keeps her face buried in the cotton of the pale ash t shirt. He brings her arms on top his shoulder and makes them comfortable on his. Holds her on top of him and gives her a soft, sweet, sensuous embrace.
Khushi do not remember how long they stay like that,
How long they hugged each other.
How long the sun took time to rise
And how long the moon decided to shelter the two lovers in an endless lock.
Arnav:
"Khushi?"
Khushi:
"Hmm?"
Arnav:
"Sweet heart, I need to go now. It is almost morning and your family might get up. You also need to get some sleep dear."
Khushi:
"Umm'.don't go, please. I beg you. I can't stay without you. I won't stay without you.
I do not care what anyone else thinks or do.
Stay, please."
Arnav:
" honey, you know there is nothing else in the world that I will rather do than stay with you. I am the last person to care about all these. But you also want a fresh start right? You wanted all these, remember? And I respect that. I will not cross any limit till I get you back."
He takes her face in his hands and makes her ear filled eye glisten a bit more. Traces her forehead with a soft morning kiss and hugs her a bit more closely.
"I love you, and that is true. Nothing else matters ok? Just remember that. This separation , this stupid rituals, will pass by before you know it. I will be with you every night, every hour. I promise, I will not stay away. If needed I will invite buaji even to stay guard while I am with you." Khushi smiles at last at his joke and open invitation for trouble. Arnav continues: " But I will not let you shed any more tears. You will not miss me. You will not cry anymore. That's final."
Khushi: "Arnav ji? Why are you like this?"
Arnav: "what the !!
Huh? Me? Like this?
Do you mean, me bad or good, like this?"
Khushi:
"Why do you love me like this?"
"Arnav ji?"
PART 2
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