She bustled into the apartment with her armfuls of bags and dropped them on the floor of her room with a sigh before sliding down on the bed. Another fortnight had passed, and, she dare thought, it had been better days.
Arnav had been making an effort. In the mood department, that is, because in the 'coming-home-early' one, there was nothing but degradation. At times, he would come home disgustingly late, staggering with tiredness and strain; at others, he simply crashed onto a couch in his office, as one of his assistants, Derek, told her when she had curiously asked the day she had woken up to a deserted building.
Sometimes, she was able to wait for him. Khushi had discovered that shopping for books was really fun, and she even had favourite writers already. She hunted bookshops for the bestsellers whenever she went shopping and spent her nights reading as she waited for his return. When the door would open and Arnav would walk in, blinking and weary, she would, only then, look up and realise it was well past midnight. Then, she would make him a tea or something, force-feed him and they would tumble in bed, both completely tired.
While her days started at nine or ten, his definitely had to start by eight, which meant he needed to already be at his desk at eight, even if he had returned home at three in the morning. She always racked her mind about how he managed with such a life but she had learned something too. Whenever she argued with him about his work life, Arnav would get irked and since they were trying to work on their relationship, she had figured out it would be better if she kept mum about the things that irritated him.
So, she would get up and ready, cook up something for him and take it to his office, where she would literally spoon-feed her boyfriend, who would be far more busy with typing out mails, issuing orders, carrying out video-conferences, gathering vital information, calling here and there. Khushi surely was impressed by his high multi-tasking capabilities but this was no life. He looked completely crushed, he was pushing himself too far. And as she had predicted during their first weeks in New York, the man indeed looked like a zombie.
But she didn't complain, and the thankful smiles he kept shooting at her in between warmed her up pleasantly. After leaving his office, she would go 'sightseeing', by which she actually meant window-shopping.
Fine, maybe not exactly window-shopping because she ended up buying things. A lot of things. Which she hid in her closet so that Arnav wouldn't see. And she had to admit things were getting pretty cramped...
Anyway, despite the hectic days and stressing workload, he was oppressing his grumpiness and temper as best as he could. Or else, work was sucking so much out of him that he never actually had the energy to even think about his anger. He even spoke little now. To her, that is, because otherwise, he was constantly on his BlackBerry, laptop or earpiece.
Half-heartedly, Khushi sat up and extricated her newest buy from one of the many shopping bags. Size 14 is not Fat Either, by Meg Cabot. One of her favourite authors. She had read the first book and it was mind-blowing. She guessed she had even fallen in love with Cooper Cartwright, even if he did not appear that much, but she could, in some ways, relate him to Arnav Singh Raizada.
She smiled and rolled on her front and started feasting on the book.
***
A tight smack on her butt made her jerk up on the couch. She had reached there some time after dinner and halfway through the story, she had somehow fallen asleep. She looked around frantically to find her boyfriend plopping down beside her, exhausted to the last bit.
"Hey," he groaned.
Khushi smiled, rubbing her eyes, before glancing at the clock. "Ten? And you're back? That's an improvement, Mr Raizada!" she teased.
He smiled sleepily and kissed her cheek softly. "I'm damn hungry!" he whined pitifully, making her laugh. She got up and closed her book but he held her hand just as she started towards the kitchen.
She raised her brow at him. Arnav merely got up and followed her there, her hand imprisoned in his grasp. She had made pizza that day. She warmed the bit she had left for him while he waited at the table, his chin resting on his hands as his elbows were on the tabletop. Silently, she observed him, laughing mutely when his eyes nearly closed and he almost deviated in sleep. But he caught himself in the nick of time.
When she placed the plate before him, he blinked at it in confusion for long and by the time he had realized what if was, she had already sat down, her knees between his, and she was already shoving a slice in between his lips. He felt himself smile as he munched on the delicious pizza and she fussily wiped the corner of his mouth. He was not just damn hungry. He was damn lucky to have a woman like this by his side.
Maybe Ram Dhawan, and all the other people were right. Maybe he was wrong. She did so much for him, she endured so much. She would never be like his mother. She would always be there for him. Khushi pouted and gave him another bite. Yeah, he was wrong, but he would make things right as soon as possible.
Once this tiredness left him, he would propose...
***
"Khushi?"
"Hmm?" she moaned sleepily with a heavy sigh.
"I love you."
She smiled, feeling his T-shirt against her face while his unique scent filled her being. But then she realised the oddity and, her eyes popping open abruptly, jumped up in bed, to look down at his astonished face, then at the bedside clock before looking back at him with a gasp.
"Arnav! It's already nine!"
He grinned up at her. "I know," he murmured huskily.
"Shouldn't you be at the office?"
Arnav reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, after which he pulled her back against his chest. "I took this Sunday off to spend it with you."
If he had expected her to squeal with joy, he was in for a disappointment because the girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Pinch me," she ordered briskly.
When he did, his eyes wide, she cried in pain and he amusedly rubbed her waist where he had lifted her nightshirt and pinched her hard enough. She poked hard into his shoulder, which made him wince.
"What are you doing?" grunted as he pressed his warm hand onto her skin.
Khushi gawked at his face. "You are real!"
"Well, of course, I am!"
She stared at him, her jaw hanging open comically. Arnav chuckled and pushed her chin up with his index finger to close her mouth, before rolling over so that she lay underneath him.
"Why? Do I not have the right to spend time with my girlfriend, Miss Gupta?"
She shook her head. "It's not that, it's just... You? Took a day off? That's... that's weird!"
Grinning, he flicked his finger on her nose. "Leave the weirdness and get ready, we're leaving in thirty minutes."
***
"So, you know this place?" he sneered incredulously at her.
Khushi pursed her lips and turned her gaze to the water. "You know how many films have been filmed here, Mr Raizada? Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, and so many!"
Khushi's outfit: http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o573/ShikhaKhushi/540983_613474548679514_608056972_n_zpsea733d8f.jpg
Laughing softly, he drew her closer to him, framing her side with his arms to prevent her from getting away. "I love you."
She could not stop the tiny smile from touching her lips. "That's twice you've said that today," she giggled as she turned in his arms to look at him, fiddling with the button of his marine blue polo shirt.
"That's because I mean it," then, his expression darkened slightly. "I'm trying, Khushi..."
She shut her eyes and snuggled into his chest. "I know." A second later, she had pulled away to look into his eyes sincerely. "I have never been this close to anyone before, you know," she whispered tearfully. "Never, not even with Payal jiji and Tanishq Bhaiyya, not even Amma-Bauji, since... since my parents..."
Arnav squared his jaw as she crashed her back against him. "I know," muttered back into her hair, rubbing her back to soothe her. He knew , he recognised how fragile she really was beneath the solid cover she put up in front of everyone. That was why, for this one girl, he had allowed himself to bend, the first time ever. That was why he was ready to take things at the slowest pace. That was why he had fallen in love...
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