It was a kiss of need. He needed comfort and warmth---her warmth.
And her warm selfless heart let him take the comfort he needed.
He deepened the kiss, instinctively responding to her acceptance.
For a while the whole world faded into the background for them.
It was only this beautiful moment between them.
As she opened up to his kiss, he plunged deeper.
The sudden ring of her mobile, broke the spell.
They drew apart embarrassed, both unable to find a single word to say.
Finally it was Arnav who broke the silence, 'I ---am sorry Khushi. I don't know what came over me. I have never done this. I am sorry, I don't know what else to say,' he ended feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed. How does one apologize for a kiss to an innocent girl?
Khushi did not know how to react to the apology. In her ideal world, a kiss is followed by some tender words, not that she could expect them from him when they were not in that kind of a relationship. But to receive an apology felt strange. She could not even say 'It's ok,'.
She nodded without looking at him and left the room.
Arnav looked after her, wondering how he could rectify this mistake. He had never done this with an innocent girl. The women he dated knew what to expect and would not attach any importance to this.
But Khushi? She was the romantic, idealistic kinds. What if she read more into it? What if it hurt her?
He would have to make sure she knew that the kiss was a temporary aberration and thought it had comforted him and that he was not romantically inclined towards her-romance and love did not figure in his dictionary.
************************************************************************************
Khushi was too flustered to to react. This was her first kiss and her romantic heart and deep morals wished it to be the only one. But what could she expect from Arnav? He was not even interested in her like that. It had been the circumstance and she had been there. Perhaps he would have kissed anyone else too because emotional distraught at that moment?
But to her, the kiss was a beautiful moment in her life. She could not treat it casually. She could not walk away pretending it did not matter to her. Yet what was the use? Because it did not matter to him.
'Garima, Rohan's family will be here next week. Rohan will leave for US ina month. If things go as planned, our Khushi bitya will be married and flying to US with him,' Sashi said, beaming from ear to ear.
Worried, Garima approached him and took his hands in hers. Pleadingly she looked at her husband 'Can you please ask her once what she wants. Ask her if she likes someone and wants to marry him. Give her some time?'
Sashi looked away from her pleading eyes and remained silent for a while. Finally he said, 'I will ask her if she likes someone and will give her one choice to get that boy to talk to me to marry her. But if there is no one or he fails to show up, she will have to marry Rohan as I planned. I don't want to play with my daughter's life and lose a very good prospect. And don't ask me to reconsider my decision, because I won't.' he said.
Garima was happy that her husband was at least giving their daughter a chance. The way he was, she had been afraid he would force Khushi to get married using emotional blackmail.
'Khushi the meeting is at 2. Are you ready?' Arnav asked hovering outside her room, from where he had heard no noise for several hours.
She had also not turned up for lunch. But she had made lunch and left it on the kitchen top and had texted him, 'eat or your sugar levels will drop'.
She was a sweet girl and he wished he had not been mean to her and then kissed her. What was it about her that drew such strong reactions from him? And how was she going to deal with the kiss?
Was she worked up about the kiss. Can you blame her? A part of his brain asked him.
He sighed.
He knew she was a girl with a very different set of values. He also knew she had a crush on him. Both these things were going to make it tough for her.
He would have to talk to her after the meeting, he resolved. But he had no clue what to say.
He tried his luck once again, knocking at her door.
She opened it immediately, looking fresh and pretty in a peach kurta and while slacks, with pearl earnings.
The colour suited her well as it reflected her beautiful complexion, he noted absently. He tried to gauge her mood through her appearance.
She looked fairly composed. And she even gave him a very fake and faint smile, but refused to meet his eyes.
When they got into the car, she took pains not to brush his arm even accidentally.
The one time their eyes met in the mirror, she blushed furiously and turned away to look outside.
Their meeting was a resounding success and the contract was signed. Arnav was elated and extremely jubilant about it. He was also very pleased with Khushi's ideas and visualization which had won them the contract. He wanted to return a measure of the happiness to her,
So, as they were driving back, when they passed through the ice skating ring again. an idea came to Arnav to make her happy.
'Khushi, want to skate?' he asked her, a little too brightly.
She shook her head and continued to stare head, still in the glum mood of the morning.
'Oh come on Khushi. Be a sport. Let me see how long you can skate without tripping. Last time I had to save you,' Arnav mocked.
Never one to say no to a challenge, Khushi gave in and joined him.
She changed into skating gears after paying for it and began.
There were not many people in the ring. So she quite alone as she glided and moved in different.
Arnav was mesmerized by the beauty of her body and the graceful move.
He felt he could watch her forever.
It was only at a point when she came near to him that Khushi started tripping, perhaps due to nervousness. Quickly Arnav caught her in his arms.
Heat shot through their bodies as they stayed glued, gazing into the eyes into each other's eyes.
Time stood still.
The beautiful backdrop of mountains and snow,
The chirping birds,
The gentle sunshine,
Everything combined to make the moment magical.
The spell was broken only when they heard a loud 'Ahem.'
They turned around to see the doctor.
'I see that you love birds cannot be confined to the room though both of you have been ill recently,' the doctor grinned.
He was the same doctor, Mr Shukla, who had treated them.
Both of them were too embarrassed to correct him.
'How long have you been married?' the doctor asked with a twinkle in his eye.
'We---emmm- are not married,' Arnav said awkwardly.
The doctor was surprised for a while but hid it well.
'Hmm. I can see that it will happen very soon,' he chuckled and moved away leaving Khushi blushing and Arnav perplexed.
On the way back to the cottage, Arnav said, 'Khushi we should celebrate our win with a drink. What say?'
She shook her head. 'No. I don't drink'.
He sighed and then asked her, 'Mind if I buy a bottle? I will drink only in my room I promise,' he said.
Khushi nodded.
Precap
'You are one fo the most gorgeous woman I have seen Khushi,' Arnav said, sliding a finger onn her cheek and bent to kiss the slim column of her throat.
'Arnav. You are drunk,' she gently protested---
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