||ArMu OS - The Morning After||

||ArMu OS The Morning After||

For as far as she could see, the sparkling white sands of the Kutch stretched out in a pristine canvas, till it melted in silver speckles into the outstretched waiting arms of the clear blue sky. Slowly, the scorching sun set and a silvery full moon rose in all its glory. There was a river now, its ink blue water reflecting the midnight sky. Everything was beautiful. Everything was perfect. And all around her, she could feel a cocoon of warmth and love and the cool night air pulsed to the steady rhythm of a heart beat that echoed in her ears.

Her eyelids felt a little heavy as she tried to open them. A pleasurable exhaustion seemed to be weighing her down. And then little by little, she became aware of the source of it all the warmth, the love, the heartbeat, the pleasure and the exhaustion. A shy smile crept up the corner of her lips as she opened her eyes and looked at her Mukhiji, her husband. As usual, she was sprawled all over him in her sleep, her arms over his chest, her feet over his and her head nestled comfortably beneath his head, at just the right position to listen to the steady rhythm of his heart.

But unlike other times, she had plenty of reason to feel shy and embarrassed this morning. She bit her lip as memories came flooding in. Even when she knew from her heart that she wanted to be his, a part of her had been anxious, nervous and scared. He had been right. It was one thing to fall in love with someone but a different thing entirely to surrender yourself completely to them. And that's what she had done last night. She had been scared and apprehensive, but under his tender ministrations, she had surrendered herself completely to him, holding nothing back as she gave herself up to be one with him. And she had felt completely one with him. Every inch of her felt as if it had been marked by him his gaze, his touch, his kisses. The thought brought heat flooding through her skin and she instinctively buried her face further into his chest. He shifted in his sleep and she immediately froze, not knowing how to react if he were to wake up right then. She slowly moved her leg off his and tried to get up. Her gaze fell on the clothes strewn all over the floor, her jhumkas catching the morning sunlight and glinting as if teasing her. Images from the night before flashed before her eyes and she covered her face shyly. Clutching the bedspread to her chest, she made a move to get off the bed. Before she could get up and move away though, he shifted in his sleep again. Panicked, she quickly lay back down and pretended to sleep.

Even in his sleep, he could sense when she moved away from him and he missed her warmth. He reached out a hand to make sure she hadn't rolled over to the edge of the bed, ready to fall. His fingers skimmed the bare skin of her shoulder and he could have sworn he heard her draw in a sharp breath. But when he opened his eyes, she seemed fast asleep.

The golden rays of the morning sun filtered in through the window and danced over her skin, making her glow. He forgot to breath as he lay looking at her. She looked divine, ethereal, fragile and.. And she was his. His heart seemed to do a cartwheel in his chest at the thought. Yes, she was well and truly his. In every which way possible. Last night, they'd finally crossed that threshold of being husband and wife in the truest sense connected now by mind, heart, soul and body.

He had never thought he would get this lucky. He had long given up hopes of ever finding true love. At the age when other men experienced love, longing and desire, he had had to take up the responsibility of an entire village, all his people looking up to him, setting him on a pedestal next to God. It was a comparison that had always burdened him. But he had been determined not to fail them so he had worked relentlessly towards being the Mukhi his people deserved. And in the process, Raidhan Raj Katara had been long forgotten. Till she came into his life.

She didn't set him on a pedestal. She didn't care if he was Mukhi. She didn't think twice about pointing out his mistakes to him, yelling at him, arguing with him. Even bantering with her when she'd been his Gaurani had been more fun than what he had had in years. And yet, he had always thought she was beyond his grasp. She was like a splash of color on the dull canvas of his life. And now, she'd painted his whole life in her colors.

When he'd seen the jhumkas she was wearing to the Janmashtami pooja the previous evening, he had felt as if the whole world had faded away, leaving just the two of them. How he concentrated on the pooja, he did not know. All he could think of was that she was ready to be his. And he had felt the stirrings of desire within the overwhelming feelings of love pounding through his heart. Had he always desired her? Their relationship had started off with respect for each other. And respect would always be the foundation for their relationship. A certain awkward companionship had shaped up on that foundation of respect. Care, concern and a platonic love had slowly weaved their way in and when exactly the colors of a truer, deeper love had seeped in, they did not realize themselves. And slowly, but surely, as the realization and acceptance of their love had permeated into their relationship, awareness had pervaded. Awareness of each other as man and woman, as husband and wife. While he had always been affected by her, he had patiently waited for her to develop those feelings and be comfortable.

And it had happened. In the most beautiful of ways possible. She had been a little nervous at first. He had seen it in her eyes the moment he entered their room. And it was in an effort to hide her nervousness that she had come running into his arms and buried her face in his chest. Even in all her nervousness, her big doe eyes had reflected the depth of her feelings for him. And he had found himself mesmerized, disarmed, and almost powerless in front of the honest, innocent yearning in her eyes. He had taken it slow, getting her comfortable, coaxing a response out of her with gentle touches and kisses. And when she responded to him, she had been uninhibited, holding nothing back, giving her all, accepting him all. That and the feel of her soft, smooth curves against the hard planes of him had been his undoing. Their coming together had been blissful, complete and fulfilling in a way that was indescribable. It was truly, a union of their souls.

A gentle breeze brought strands of her hair onto her face and he reached over to tuck them behind her ear. She seemed to shudder in response to his touch. And a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. He knew then that she was only pretending to sleep. He raised himself on his elbow and leaned in closer to her.

"Ay Mukhiyani!" he whispered against her ear, his voice husky from morning slumber.

What was she supposed to do now? She wondered, trying to control the heated blush crawling up her skin and the overload of sensations fluttering through her heart. She couldn't pretend sleep anymore. She opened her eyes slowly and met his loving gaze. He was looking at her with so much love and adoration in his eyes that any shyness she might have been feeling evaporated in an instant.

"Tu theek che?" he asked, his gaze roaming over her face.

How could she not love this man? He made her feel as if she was the most important person in his life, as if his entire world revolved around her. She smiled as she nodded her head.

"Sone ka naatak kyun kar rahi thi?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"Wo.. Main.."

His reached over and cupped her cheek, his fingers gently caressing the soft, smooth skin. "Aru, tu jaanthi hai na main tujhse kitna prem kartha hoon?" he asked. She nodded her head, barely being able to focus on what he was saying as her skin erupted in goosebumps at his touch. "Aur shayad usse bhi zyada prem tu mujhse karthi hai," he said. "Aur ab.. Ab hum dono alag nahi hain Aru. Ek hain. Main nahi chahtha ki tujhe kisi bhi tarah se yeh lage ki ab humare rishte mein kuch badal gaya hai. Tujhe mujhse ghabrane ki, sharmane ki koi zaroorath nahi."

She smiled at him shyly but said nothing. He continued to look at her as if he could see his entire world in her.

"Aap.. Aap aise kya dekh rahe hain?" she finally asked. He wanted to ask her, what magic spell she had cast on him, that he couldn't seem to think beyond her. A part of him was trying to tell him that he had to take things slow with her. He didn't want her to overwhelm her or scare her with the intensity of his love. But there was another part of him that was intently focused on that mole on her neck, in that perfectly kissable spot under her chin. His finger traced down her cheek to her lip and she drew in a sharp breath. His eyes darkened in a telltale sign of his desire for her and though she didn't think it was possible, she felt herself blush even more.

"Mukhiji.. Hum.. Subah.. Sab log.." her words stumbled over each other as she struggled to focus her thoughts as his fingers lazily traced a path toward that mole. "Tujhse ek aur baath kehni thi, his voice was deep and husky with desire. She couldn't have responded even if she wanted to. Her voice lost somewhere in the storm of sensations he evoked in her. "Ab tere itne paas aane ke baad, tujhse door raha hi nahi jaayega. Meri jaan nikal jaayegi."

Aru immediately placed a hand on his mouth to shush him and shook her head. "Main aapki hoon Mukhiji. Hamesha ke liye. Aur aap mere." With that she hugged him closer and he buried his head in the fragrant locks of her hair. This close, it was not possible for him to not kiss that distracting mole. The softness of his kiss contrasted sharply with the friction of his stubble and moustache against the sensitive skin of her neck sending her response into overdrive.

"Aapse.." she blurted the word out as soon as she could draw in a breath.

He looked up at her. "Aapse kuch kehna tha", she said breathlessly. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. She blushed deeply as she said, "Aapki daadi chubthi hai". He smiled happily at her intimate discovery before returning his attention to the kissable mole on her neck.

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