Arshi SS: Unexpected *LAST PART*PART 15 Page 36 - Page 11

SS: Unexpected part 9

They went into the first shop that was an antique shop. Khushi liked all items in there including stuff like silver and clay pots, decorative frames, antique daggers which Arnav pointed at her as a joke and getting a glare in return. She particularly liked the intricate designs on all the carpets and rugs. She simply had to get one of the tiny ones meant to hang on the wall.

She made her way to the accessories and tried the different rings, earrings and necklaces. She picked up another ring to try on when Arnav made her jump when he tickled her side. The ring fell to the ground and she was about to let a parade of swear words go off at Arnav but she refrained when she saw him pick it up.

She extended her hand to grab it from him, but he wouldn't give it to her. Instead he caught her hand with his other and even though she struggled to make him let go, he didn't. "Don't make a scene, Khushi." He said sternly and tried to pry her fingers open but she had them in a tight first.

"What are you doing, Arnav? Don't try to be so funny!" Of course she knew very well that he was trying to put the ring on.

"It's a goddamn ring! And I wouldn't imagine getting married to you so remove that stupid thought from your mind," he said with furrowed eyebrows and Khushi's face went blank. He could be so harsh sometimes, she thought.

Arnav bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling when she slowly let her fingers open and he quickly slipped it onto her middle finger. He touched the emerald stones once then finally looked up to see her reaction. He was taken aback when he caught her already staring at him - with uncertainty it seemed.

"How do you like it?" He said, still holding her hand. She blinked once then looked down and he noticed how she swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's nice."

"So get it!"

She looked at him again and remained silent. She abruptly pulled her hand away and took the ring off. "I don't want to." She said, putting the ring back in its place and walking away.

Arnav looked after her then back at the ring. He looked back to make sure she wasn't near by and when she wasn't, he swiftly took the ring and went to the front to quickly pay for it before tucking it in his pocket.

He waited the rest of the time by the cash until she came and put her mini rug, and wooden treasure box ornamented with stones on the counter as the shopkeeper told her the price.

They got out and started going to other stores. They went into a clothing store where Khushi picked up a few light tunics and an orange skirt to buy. She was in the women's section and Arnav was in the men's when out of nowhere he came up to her and started walking next to her.

"Are you not going to buy anything? Seriously, considering all the money you have, your very greedy - even when it comes to yourself." She said and moved to the side when a lady was walking past. But she didn't know that moving to the side would mean crashing into his body. He had wrapped his hand around her arm to steady her and it was when she was moving away that she noticed that.

"I was waiting for you actually." He said and she looked at him confusedly.

"I mean, after all, they're not exactly things I'd wear but I guess I could be lenient with a few." He said quietly so others don't hear.

Khushi raised her eyebrow at him then huffed. They continued walking when they got to the undergarment section for women. Arnav's eyes widened and a smirk started to play on his lips. Khushi gasped realizing what he was so excited about and did the first thing that came to her mind. She threw one hand around his nape, with all the clothes sliding up her arm, and clamped down her other hand over his eyes.

"Don't you have any shame?" She said harshly then her eyes moved to his smiling lips. Her eyes then moved to how her hand was around his neck and her other hand on his eyes. It was a position far too awkward for the two. As if she were about to kiss him...

She removed both her hands and grabbed onto his wrist instead - hauling him away. She stood next to the clothing wracks on the men's side and went through the shirts. She found a nice blue plaid shirt and held it up to him. "Good?"

"Anything that you think looks good on my body. This is all for you after all," he said with a wink and silently laughed seeing that epic expression she always gave when he made silly jokes like that.

She picked out another one and gave it to him so they can go to the front to pay for it. "Having fun so far?" He asked.

Khushi was standing with her arms crossed over he chest. "No," she said sternly which irritated Arnav. If only he knew everything Khushi was really going through. They left that store and casually strolled the streets until they got to an ice cream shop. Khushi's face lightened seeing it but she quickly composed herself when Arnav looked at her.

He didn't get why so was so reserved around him. He grabbed her hand and despite her protests, pulled her into the ice cream shop along with him. He ordered two ice cream cones and it wasn't until they got their order that he let her go of his hold.

Khushi was about to sit at one of the tables but Arnav put his hand behind her back to guide her back out the door. She normally would have reacted but with ice cream in her hand, she didn't want to risk getting it over herself.

"Move your hand!" She spat when they got out and he laughed to himself. "There's a park right there," he said pointing across the street. Khushi furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance but agreed to go anyways.

Arnav sat on top of the table while Khushi sat on the actual bench. With the breeze starting to get faster, Khushi's hair was flying to her face. No matter how much she tried she couldn't get the strands to stay behind her ears. She scowled making Arnav laugh.

"Shut up and hold this!" She exclaimed, passing him her cone. He watched in awe as she gracefully tied her hair in a ponytail pulling it to one side. She looked up to get her cone but found him staring. She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes making him blink. She put her hand out to take her cone but he decided to play the silly game of not giving it to her.

"Arnav, c'mon, stop with this nonsense!" She was getting angry but he loved every bit of it. With her head facing away from him, he finally gave in. "Here," he said as she turned to look at him when he tipped her cone forward and hit the tip of her nose.

She clenched her jaw and her nose involuntarily flared. "Arnav!" She yelled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. With her hand now dirty, she got up and smeared it on the sleeve of Arnav's shirt. "Hey!" He yelled back in defense and Khushi quickly grabbed hers away.

She sat back down with a victorious smile on her face as she started to eat away. She thought for a moment then looked up to talk to him. "Why do you act so differently in front of others?"

Arnav gave her a questioning look and got off the table to sit next to her on the bench, turning his body towards her. "This is how I always am."

"That's not true. You're different with your family - more loving."

"Khushi, everyone's different around their friends and family. I'm not going to fall at my friend's feet like I do for my family. Not saying that I don't care about my friends but there's a big difference, you know?" He asked rhetorically but Khushi nodded her head anyways.

"You love your niece a lot though. I've never seen that much love."

Arnav stared off into the grass before looking up at Khushi. "Her father died from cancer when she was almost one. For her, I'm like her father, and for me, she really is equivalent to my own kid."

Khushi had never been so dumbstruck in her life. Her eyes were open wide and her mouth hung a bit in shock and sympathy. She felt a sudden obligation to reach out and touch him - to comfort him - but they were not that close for her to get personal. And yet...here he was telling her an extremely personal fact about his life.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," she finally said with a croaky voice and Arnav nodded his head in appreciation. While he looked away, Khushi's eyes were still on him. She couldn't believe that obnoxious Raizada was actually a loving father figure for his niece. A guy who took on that role since the age of 18.

When he looked back at her, Khushi wanted to lighten the mood so she tipped her own ice cream and hit his nose. She laughed hysterically when he gave her an incredulous look.

She started leaning back when he leaned in towards her. He got off from the bench and held Khushi's hands down, dropping both their ice creams on the grass in the process, and dipped his head.

Khushi gasped as he grazed his nose against her collarbone. She felt like her head might explode from the intense blushing that was causing her face to feel like it was on fire. He got off and winked at her with a smirk on his face.

She snarled at him, and got up at once - picking up her dirty ice cream and throwing it in the garbage. She picked up her bags and started walking, leaving an amused Arnav behind. He shook his head after her and also threw his cone away before he grabbed his bags and started running after Khushi.

"Khushi, please one sec. We need to go to one more store."

"NO!" She shouted when she stopped in her tracks and gave him a death glare. "I've already spent too much time with you and - "

"Khushi, please," he said seriously with all traces of flirt and teasing gone. "I want to get that white horse and I mean, none of my friends would go with me to get it."

Khushi sighed and finally said yes. It wasn't for anyone else but that adorable little girl who asked for it. Arnav grinned wide and nodded his head towards the sidewalk as they continued their walk.

****

When they got back to the hotel, they noticed the other students still hadn't come back. Khushi was walking up to her room and noticed him following after. To say she was confused was an understatement.

When she opened the door, she turned around and said, "Bye!" with a fake grin making Arnav's expression fall. "I can't get into my room! My friend's have to key!"

"Yeah right!" She did not believe him one bit. "I mean getting to spend nearly four hours with me has been a huge accomplishement anyways, so congrats!"

"Khushi, I swear I don't have any key." He said it like he really meant it. And he did mean it.

She let out a defeated sigh and let him in. She watched him as he put his bags down and went to the bathroom. She started randomly walking around, pulling her hair out of the ponytail in the process, and trying to fix the bed sheets as best she could so they didn't seem like an ugly heap in corners.

She went to sit on the white suede couch, lifting her feet up to take up the entire space when Arnav came out with a towel in his hand. It seemed he had washed his face with beads of water adorning his hair. Khushi wanted to stab herself. She found him good-looking.

He came towards her with a knowing smile - knowing that she was thinking something on the inside - but she was faster as she got up and stood a foot away from him. "Get that stupid smile off your face!"

"Why? Does it bother you?" He asked, taking a step towards her. So they were playing that game again, Khushi thought since the only way she could go was back, until she awkwardly slipped out from the side.

She tried to do just that but Arnav grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back, plastering her against the wall, with one hand flat on the space by her head. "Are you bipolar?" He asked.

Khushi's eyes widened. 'Is he f-ing serous?!' She thought since it was always her theory that he was bipolar.

"No I'm not! Why would I be?" She asked furiously.

"One minute you'll be smiling then the rest of the time, you're angry. Don't you get tired of it?" He removed his hand from the wall and pushed the space between her eyebrows but it didn't change when he removed his thumb. He looked her in the eye and realized things didn't add up. She looked angry from the outside, but her eyes did not show anger. They seemed hesitant as they looked back in his.

"Khushi," he said quietly.

"Hmm?" She asked because the lump in her throat did not allow her to speak anymore.

"Relax." He said seriously, free from all smirks or smiles. She let go of all her tensed muscles and immediately felt lighter.

Arnav finally brought up his other hand which was holding the towel and grazed it across Khushi's collarbone, the same place he had smeared the ice-cream. Khushi felt like she was shaking in her own skin. His close proximity, his damp hair with a few strands hanging over his forehead, his hand that was gently wiping the towel on her skin, was driving her mad in all senses.

"Sorry for earlier," he said to her, looking at her chest board then back up. He had removed the towel but continued to stand in front of her. She looked down at her hands in front of her stomach.

Not wanting to wait any longer since this was his perfect chance, he took one step closer leaving no space between them. Khushi looked up startled and very well nervous. She saw as he startled to lean his head in. If she were already hyperventilating, she couldn't imagine what it would be like if he actually kissed her. She tipped her head up, and he had just barely brushed his lips against hers when she snapped her head towards the window as she heard the engine of the big tour bus come to a halt right below.

She looked back at Arnav and pushed him away. "You're friends are here now." She said a bit breathlessly.

"They all have great timing," he said with a chuckle before he threw the towel on the couch, grabbed his bags, and swiftly left the room. Khushi brought her hand up to her mouth in disbelief. 'What just happened?' She wondered.

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Hey all! Didn't want them to rush into anything because even though the attraction is obviously there, Khushi is just really confused. But Arnav has always been sure though he's starting to see more than just her angry side. Anyways...

Hope ya'll liked it! Thank you for liking and commenting on the last. I appreciate every single one of them. Have a great day everyone!

Beautiful update.