#3 Arshi FF: Smitten By The Neighbour ~Next thread link on Page 134~ - Page 3

Several days passed by. Things seemed to be getting better in the Raizada house. Arvind began to shower his affection on little Samrat without any hesitation, and the boy grew extremely fond of his grandfather. Everyone in the house was overjoyed when they saw the love between Arvind and Samrat. Arnav was elated, but decided to keep his feelings to himself, since he and his father were still not on "friendly" talking terms. Ratna was glad that her son and husband were at least looking at each other's face and talking. She knew it wouldn't be too long before their relationship would repair itself, with a little more effort from both sides.

Khushi and Arnav were getting quite comfortable with each other too. Although they still remembered their respective first love at certain times, they had become really good friends with each other. They respected each other and never kept any secrets. When one was low, the other comforted. When one was sad, the other one spread happiness. In short, both of them had fit and adjusted into each other's lives very well.

And then, there were their secret thoughts, which no one apart from the Almighty knew. Khushi had slowly begun to see Arnav in a new light. It was no surprise that he looked utterly handsome. She had noticed his good looks long back when he had brought Samrat to school for the first time. And even if she chose not to observe him, Gauri had made sure she did by passing certain comments on the way he looked. Although she did happen to notice him, she did not pay much attention then. But now, she could not remain from looking at him. She did love Rishi, but with each passing day, it was getting difficult for her to avoid noticing Arnav. He had an amazing physique; one that men would kill to have. It was a genetic trait. Arvind Raizada too looked merely forty even at the age of sixty two. And both his sons had inherited the father's looks, although Arnav seemed to be slightly broader and taller than Akaash. She could deny that he was as hot as molten steel, but she had often noticed him coming back from his morning walks. Of course, he would think that she was asleep under the quilt, and find nothing wrong in taking off his sweatshirt. But what he did not know was that Khushi was wide awake, watching his bare upper-half without his knowledge. He looked like a statue made of granite. His perfect washboard abs could get one to grate cheese on it. His chest looked like it was carved out of hard granite by the finest sculptor.

But what appealed to her the most were his shoulder blades. Shapely and sharply curved; just like the strongest bow of an archer. The way his muscles flexed as he would take his shirt off would cause a strange ache within her. She had not missed that deep brown scar on his back, as well. Whatever the wound was, it seemed to have healed over the years, but the scar ran deep. The mark seemed to increase her curiosity every time she noticed it. However, she couldn't be asking him about it. It would let him know that she was watching him when he wasn't looking. At times, she would hesitate to look at him. She felt like a curious teenager, eager to know more. The feeling was surprising and new, because she never felt this way even when she was with Rishi.

And then, there had been a time when she had walked into the room when he was just out of bath. She had brought coffee for him, just before he was leaving for work. She had just placed the mug on the coffee table and had turned around, only to see him walking out with wet hair and a white towel round his waist. His flat stomach that was ridged with traces of hard muscles and the dusty path of hair from his navel leading to the forbidden area beneath the towel had caught her treacherous attention. Water droplets cascaded down his torso and his usually jet-black hair was even darker with dampness as he brought another smaller towel to his head to rub it dry. Her keen senses had grasped the fragrance; he smelled like freshly cut cedar and sweet amber. His masculine scent exhilarated her, causing her to be totally unbalanced in her senses. Arnav, on the other hand, was oblivious to her thoughts and smiled at her, thanking for the coffee. She could only nod her head in response and storm out of the room. She hadn't been able to look at him in the eye for a few days, without the image of his bare body crossing her mind.

If the mornings were a slow torture for Khushi, then the nights were a severe punishment for Arnav. Khushi preferred to have a bath, in the morning as well as in the night. Arnav would watch her from the corner of his eyes as she would go into the bathroom and come out in an overlarge bathrobe, trailing a potent scent of musky verbena and jasmine. She would gather various items from her dresser table and disappear into the bathroom again. He would watch as her creamy shins and calves stomped around the room and how her face shined pink with the after-effects of a hot shower. When she would come out again, he would sense that she smelled cocoa butter, and would not help imagining her applying body lotion over her slim hands and graceful legs. And then his stupid mind would imagine the bathrobe falling... He hated his brain.

Even worse was when she would wear those netted sarees. His mother had taken her shopping and bought several netted sarees for her, saying that such sarees were the latest fashion. He would notice her struggling to cover her midriff with the fabric, only to make it look more appealing to him. The tiny bells of the chain round her waist made him want to run his fingers over her. Hold your horses, Arnav. Control your urges. Cold showers have treated you well in the past five years. A few more months... or maybe years, isn't going to kill you he would tell himself.And before his hand could do anything on its own, he would walk out of the room.

Also, there were these nights that would be extremely long for him. Both of them were so used to sleeping on the bed, all thanks to their little Samrat, they continued to sleep in one bed even when Samrat slept with Ratna. But that wasn't what troubled him. Khushi had grown accustomed to hug Samrat and sleep. So, in the nights when Sam wouldn't be sleeping between them, she would roll over, in her sleep, to the other side of the bed and hug Arnav. He could never ignore how soft and curvy she felt. Not only that, he knew how silky her skin felt. Touching her, days back in the car on that cold night, had given him a clue as to how soft she could be all over. It was a curse to possess such dangerous knowledge. And then, as if to torture him more, she would stretch her herself against his body, and all the points of contact of their warm bodies would cause an itch in his hands and pants. At times, unable to hold himself back, he would hug her and lean closer to her, but would stop before he could do something regretful. She always reminded him of a teddy bear that he had as a kid; the only difference being that she was much softer, warmer and better. All these thoughts would cause him to stay awake for most of the night until sleep overpowered his other senses.

Amidst all of this, there was one person who was completely oblivious to the confused feelings- Samrat Raizada. It had become a habit for Samrat to sleep between his parents, most of the time. His Mommy and Daddy would hug him and he absolutely loved the feeling of being pampered. Every morning, he would wake up to a tight hug from Daddy and loving kiss from Mommy. There was no doubt that Arnav adored Samrat. Khushi too enjoyed spoiling the kid with all her love. He believed that he was the happiest kid in the whole wide world, and every night before he would sleep, he would thank God for making his dream of a happy family come true.

On one such morning, Khushi fluttered her eyes open and woke up to the sweetest and the cutest sight possible. Arnav was lying on his back and Samrat was fast asleep, lying on his tummy, on top of him. Both of their mouths were slightly open as they breathed. Arnav had his arms around Samrat in a protective manner, and the little boy held his Daddy's t-shirt tightly in his tiny fists. Both of them had tousled hair which made them look adorable. She did not think twice before she shifted closer to them. She ran her hand over Sam's hair and cheek, slowly closing his mouth. He frowned and pursed his lips, and fell asleep again. Khushi looked up at Arnav. He looked a few years younger when he was asleep. Despite her hesitation, she touched his cheek. She felt shivers down her spine as she touched the prickly stubble. No wonder Sam giggles and says he feels ticklish when Arnav kisses him. She smiled to herself and gently closed his mouth with the touch of her fingertips. And she surprised herself when she ran her fingers through Arnav's messy hair and patted his head. Her heart began to race and her throat ran dry. She could feel the heat even though his body did not touch hers. All this while, she used to watch him secretly. But now, lying so close to him, ignoring the fact that his son- their son was sleeping with them, she could not help but ogle at his crisp profile. She saw him stir in his sleep and turned to move back to her side of the bed. She couldn't. She looked down to see that her waist-long hair was tucked under Arnav's back. She wondered when did that happen. It happened when you were ogling at your sleeping beauty the voice in her head said.

Arnav felt something moving on his face, making him feel ticklish. I'm going to get rid of that Bruno if he is sitting on my bed he thought to himself. He forced his eyes open and blinked twice to see Khushi hovering above him. She was barely moving when he looked up at her and noticed that her hair was tucked under him. She seemed to freeze as he stretched out his arm, brushed a few strands of her hair that was falling on his face and tucked it behind her ear. His fingers lingered over her cheek and he saw the color of her face rising to pick. Khushi couldn't help but notice how deep his eyes were. Everything around them seemed to be so insignificant, except each other's gaze. Her heart raced as his thumb touched her quivering bottom lip, and she closed her eyes when she felt his touch over her lip. Arnav raised his head as he saw her move, inch by inch, closer to him. Her eyes shot open and he withdrew his hand back when Samrat, who was lying over Arnav, stirred. "Mommyy" he said in a sleepy voice and Khushi sat up while Arnav looked away from her. Sam opened his eyes and smiled at Khushi. "Mommyyy" he whispered groggily, and crawled into her arms. The moment Samrat went into her arms, Arnav sat up, and looking at no one in particular, he said, "I'll use the bathroom" Khushi closed her eyes as she took a deep breath while hugging Samrat. Awkward, with a capital A, indeed!

An hour later, the entire family was gathered at the dining table. Khushi served Arnav his breakfast as usual, and Arnav knew better to remain cool. Although on the insides, both of them were reeling from the morning's incident. He had touched her lips, drawing her closer and she had willingly inched closer to him with her eyes closed. Ratna and Payal noticed the awkward tension between the two and smiled at each other. Awkwardness between them would definitely mean that their relationship was progressing. Both women were married for a long time now, and understood what those looks mean. Ratna only thanked God and prayed that they would eventually see each other as husband and wife, in all true sense.

Two more weeks passed. Secretive glances continued between the Khushi and Arnav, but they had learnt not to behave awkwardly; especially not after Ratna and Payal had asked Khushi if she and Arnav had finally accepted their relationship. Khushi hadn't known what Ratna was talking about, and that was Payal had to spell it out for her. Khushi had turned pink and had denied it, telling both of them that they had misinterpreted their glances for awkwardness. That evening, when Arnav had noticed her avoiding his gaze, he asked her to spill out what was troubling her. She had denied, saying it was nothing, and did not open her mouth until he threatened to ask his mother. That was when she had told him. "Ma and Payal suspect that we have... errr... we are... you know..." He caught the drift and had unexpectedly laughed aloud, only to annoy her more. "Laugh at my expense, Arnav. Ma doesn't say anything to you. I'm the one who needs to answer all these questions" Arnav had apologized and had then asked her not to behave awkwardly, no matter what. "Khushi, I know my family is crazy. And they tend to go overboard most of the times. For instance, Ma just doesn't know where to stop. You won't believe it. She had asked Payal after one month of her pregnancy if Akaash and she still continued to... you know... do "things"... Poor Payal!  Akaash had to help her out and tell Ma not to question anything about their life. Still, Ma doesn't understand. So, I'm not really surprised she asked you that" Khushi's jaw hung open when Arnav had told her that. "And now I see that, after so many years, Ma's habits have rubbed off on Payal." He clicked his tongue as his expression changed to a distasteful one. "That's why, Khushi. Just don't say or do anything odd around Ma. She has the eyes of a hawk. In fact, Akaash, Anjali and I used to call her a hawk lady when we were in school; all in good humor, of course" Khushi only managed a smile. She had to behave smarter around everyone.

At the breakfast table, Arvind saw Arnav stealing glances at Khushi as she was convincing Samrat to eat another roti, while he kept making a fuss. Arnav smiled to himself as he recalled how he had to do all what she was doing right now. Handling the little Raizada was definitely not an easy job. Also, Arnav was happy with the way Khushi had adjusted herself in his life. Even his office staff had noticed him being cheerful all the time. Khushi had brought a positive impact in his life. Not only was she a good mother to his son, but was also a very good friend to him. Agreed, that they had not taken their marital bond up a notch, but both of them were content with the way their relationship was taking shape. At least, he hoped that she too was as content with him as he was with her. Arvind cleared his throat to draw Arnav's attention, and smirked when he saw his son's cheeks turn pink.

"I have an announcement to make" Arvind said, and everyone turned their heads to the emperor of the Raizada kingdom. "yes, Dad?" Akaash spoke as he swallowed the piece of roti that he was munching while brushing his toe against a blushing-Payal's ankle. "One of my friend, Sukhlal Mehta called up and told me that his chain of resorts- Pineridge Resorts- are celebrating their 25^th year. And he has also sent passes for us all to spend 2 days and 3 nights at the resort." "For the whole family?" Ratna asked and he nodded. "He's been a friend since a long time. In fact, our company had chipped in a bit to finance him when he first started his business. So he's sent passes for privileged guests. And I accepted his offer and told him we'll be there." "When is it?" Akaash asked. "Next Week. It's on the outskirts of the city. They have some ceremony; some lighting the lamp and prayer and all that. After which, they'll conduct some games and fun stuff; the kids are going to enjoy it for sure. Then we stay there for 3 nights and come back home on third morning." Everyone seemed to be happy with the plan. Kavya already started discussing with Payal as to what clothes and Barbie dolls she would carry with her.

"I won't be able to come" Arnav said without looking up from his plate, "I'll be leaving to Delhi day after tomorrow, after which I have some important work throughout the week." Akaash shook his head, "Come on, Arnav. Don't be a spoilsport! It's alright; you can afford to take an off from work. You're the boss, damn it!" Arnav pursed his lips. He did not reveal the real reason behind his unwillingness to go; the reason being quite simple and painful- Swathi. They had been to Pineridge Resorts, five years back, for their honeymoon. Every nook and corner of the place had a million memories that flashed right in front of his eyes. Arnav closed his eyes, trying to forget it all; with those love-filled memories, he recalled her betrayal. New anger rose within him. "I said, I'm not coming" he said in a dry voice. "Okay..." Arvind said, causing him to be taken by surprise, "If you don't want to come, it's perfect. No one's going to force you" Then looking at Khushi, he said, "Beta, you and Samrat will come with us. Let Arnav stay alone" Khushi looked confused. Samrat tugged at her dupatta and looked at her with pleading eyes, "Mommy, I really want to go on this picnic" Khushi looked up at Arnav but he did not seem to bother what Samrat said. He looked really annoyed. "Daddy, please? Let's go. I really want to go" the boy said to his father. "If you want to go, you may go, Samrat. No one's stopping you" Arnav said in a cold voice. Arvind frowned, "Your son is asking something, and you're being so stubborn about it Arnav?" Arnav was about to reply when Ratna said, "Arnav, you keep working all the time. Give yourself a break. And this is the time when the whole family will be together, relaxing and enjoying!" Arnav felt suffocated. His family had begun to manipulate him, yet again. Everyone, except Khushi, took turns to convince him. Finally Khushi said, "Arnav, won't it be nice to spend some time with Samrat? He too wants to..." "ENOUGH!" Arnav yelled, tossing the napkin on the table. Standing up, least bothered that the whole family was there, he pointed his index finger at Khushi, "I know what I must do and what I mustn't, okay? Stop telling me how and when I must spend time with my son. I said several times that I don't want to come. Why is it so difficult to understand? And Khushi, one more thing. Samrat is my son. I don't need any advice about my relationship with him from a third person." He left his plate on the table and walked away in anger without another glance behind, not knowing that he had left Khushi in tears, in front of the whole family.

Aasha stared in the direction that Arnav walked out of the house, and with every passing second, her vision became more blur as her eyes turned misty. Ratna held her shoulders as tears began to fall off her eyes. "He can be rude at times, Khushi. I'm sure he didn't mean it" Akaash said to her. Khushi wiped her tears and swallowed a lump in her throat. "Excuse me..." she whispered as she went upstairs. "Khushi, your food..." Payal called out, looking at her untouched plate. "I'm not hungry" she mumbled in a hitched breath as she went to her room. Samrat curled his lips and looked at Daadi, "Why did Daddy fight with Mommy?" Ratna felt sorry that Samrat had to hear his father scream in such a manner. "I'm sure Daddy was mad with some other reason and took his anger on Mommy. Just like when you get angry with your friends and shout at Lallu..." "Lulu..." Sam corrected with a frown. Ratna shook her head, "Yes, that dinosaur Lulu... Just like how you shout at Lulu, Daddy too shouted at Mommy. He did not mean it" Samrat looked in the direction that Khushi went upstairs. "Mommy will not leave me and go just because Daddy shouted at her, no?" Ratna hugged him, "No shona. She won't. She loves you a lot. But I think it's better if we leave Mommy alone for some time?" Sam nodded and went into his Daadi's arms. Once Ratna took him inside, Arvind looked at Akaash, "Talk to Arnav and find out what made him yell like that. Also, tell him that Khushi was pretty upset after he left. He must know what the consequences of his actions are" Akaash nodded and Arvind got up from the dining table. Akaash knew something was bothering Arnav; or else he would never yell like the way he did. He called up Arnav on his phone, and as expected, he did not pick up. I need to go to his office Akaash thought and decided to talk to his brother at the earliest.