Chapter 25

[MEMBERSONLY]

She had been pacing living room for last one and a half hour and had made numerous trips to the nursery, desperately trying to draw strength and comfort from her sleeping angels. Her babies were the only thing keeping her from fainting with worry right now.  'Arnavji will be back. He has to be back. He knows he is responsible for the kids. He will not be reckless. He has to have a good reason for doing this. He is safe. He has to be. For Adit Adya. For me. He'll be coming any moment now. Don't think negative Khushi. Just have faith in God'  she kept consoling herself. In these two agonizing hours, she had realized that she can do anything, and she meant ANYTHING for his safety and happiness, that Arnavji was an integral part of her life which she cannot do without. And right now, she can bloody walk barefoot on burning coals, if that makes come back home safe and in one piece.

As the needles on the clock moved 10 minutes further, Khushi curled up in fetal position on the couch. She knew that if Arnavji does not come soon she'll have to call the Police. This is Delhi and he is out in the dead of the night without anyone knowing about his whereabouts and that was not something he did regularly. The thought brought fresh tears down to a now depressed and defeated Khushi's cheeks. Her mind was alert to tiniest of the sounds it could catch right now, but none of the sounds were of the footsteps she so wanted to hear.

'Why did you go like this Arnavji?'  she muttered.  She has analysed, re-analysed and has been repeatedly analyzing the reason of his this behavior, and she was sure that if she would have not been so wound up in her own misery today, she would have picked on his off mood. That brought fresh round of curses for Roy family in her heart, but she stopped herself. She can use all the blessings and positivity right now. And if the need be, she WILL NOT hesitate to call Akash and ask for help, for she does not know any other soul who can help her right now. AMAN. Oh yes! AMAN. Arnavji's trusted executive, it clicked her. Why did she not think of him? She knew it would be weird calling the man at nearly 2 in the night but there was no other option. She hastily stood up to go to Arnavji's room for fetching his phone diary to get Aman's number. 

As soon as she stood up, she heard the front door opening. 

Arnav had been driving along the vacant roads of Delhi city aimlessly for more than 2 hours now. Driving always helped him sort out his anger, his confusions. But today it was neither anger nor confusion, it was an undefined restlessness in his heart that he was trying to come to terms with. He knew of her dinner, he was informed well in advance and Khushi had come back home and they had even talked after that. Seemingly all was normal. But he had caught on that Khushi was upset, very upset, and he could not put his finger on the reason. And he was hell apprehensive that the reason could be Akash Roy meddling with their upcoming marriage. But two hours of intense thinking led him to the conclusion that he was jumping to conclusions. He should wait for Khushi to come to him and spell out whatever the problem is, if there is any. He may have pushed her into the wedding, but he did not lie to her. He has been fair in all his dealings with her and Akash has nothing to instigate her with. Apart from the fact that she might have feelings for that man, there is nothing that should worry him. And that one little detail was and will always be Khushi's prerogative. He can try his best to make her love him but the final decision will be hers only.

He decided to turn around and head home. Though the mere thought of her not returning his feelings was killing him, he decided to keep things going as usual from his side.  He will not torture himself or her about all this now. One thing he was glad about in all this was that he had avoided getting into any argument with Khushi regarding Akash, for he knew his potential when it comes to slicing people with his tongue, and now he can not imagine doing it to HIS Khushi. Hell, he can kill anyone if they half as much try to distress her. He has known it for a while now, that Khushi matters to him more than himself. Love was treacherous he knew, but no one told him that treachery was to ones own self. To your beloved, you become a die hard loyalist. 'What have you done to me Khushi?'  he murmured looking at his engagement band.

When Arnav reached home, he had expected a silent house welcoming him. He was even planning to drop by the nursery and kiss his babies a good night, his cute little kids who were sure to never leave him. Them and him will be there for each other, always. An ever eluding ALWAYS of his life. Anyways, as soon as he opened the front door, which was suspiciously unlocked, he was greeted with a sight which he did not have an iota of inkling would be waiting for him.

There stood Khushi, in the middle of living room, in her fitted baby blue short kurta-churidaar, her white-blue shaded dupatta discarded on the couch nearby, her hair  all messed up and sweeped to her right shoulder in the front.  And after his initial surprise, when he looked closely, he found that her eyes were red, probably by crying as there were fresh batch of tears making their way down her cheeks currently. And she looked ANGRY, like VERY VERY ANGRY.

First thing Khushi felt when she saw Arnavji coming through that door was relief. A HUGE wave of relief washed over her heart, mind, body, soul, her entire universe. So much so that she could just cry in relief.  And the second thing she felt was an intense urge to strangle the man standing in front of her for putting her through two hours of pure hell. She strode towards him at a lightening speed and stopped less then two feet away, glaring and spitting fire with her two huge hazel eyes.

'Where were you Arnavji?'  she tried to wipe off the tears off her face with the back of her palm.

'What are you doing up so late? And why the hell are you crying? What happened?'  came the question instead of the much needed reply.

'WHAT HAPPENED? ... SERIOUSLY?'  Khushi's voice went several notches higher.

Arnav recoiled at this sudden outburst. He had never seen Khushi yell, and from the looks of it, she looked perfectly capable of hitting him right now.

'YOU happened. WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU? WHY THE HELL DID YOU NOT INFORM ANYONE WHERE YOU WERE GOING?'  Khushi's temper refused to come down.

'Easy Khushi. Calm down. I just went out for a drive'  he said trying to hold her by the shoulders.

'AT 12 IN THE NIGHT? WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE? ARE YOU INSANE?'  she swatted away his hands that were moving towards her shoulders.

'Khushi stop yelling. You'll wake the kids up. And do you mind telling me why are you crying?'  Arnav did not like not being allowed to touch her.

Instead of replying, Khushi looked at him incredulously, for asking the most absurd question possible in the current situation.

'Oh... For me? ... You... You don't have to cry like this Khushi'  Arnav stammered at this blatant display of concern and affection, when realization hit him.

'I will cry which ever way I like'  she spat and turned to leave.

'Listen Khushi, please don't cry'  Arnav held her wrist stopping her,  warmth of her concern seeping down into his heart.

She stopped, but refused to turn back to face him.

'Khushi. Listen. Don't cry. Khushi. Look at me. Don't cry '  he turned her around.

'I don't need your permission to cry. Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?'  she replied trying to wriggle her wrist out of his hold.

'I am your goddamn FIANCE'  he instantly bellowed, defending his right on her.

'Who does not care to inform me before leaving the house at midnight. Who does not answer his goddamn phone. Who does not care if I goddamn die worrying'  she retorted.

His hold on her wrist tightened as his eyes bored into hers

'Don't.ever.talk.about.dying'  he growled spelling each word clear.

'Leave me. I don't want to talk about ANYTHING with you'  she replied fuming.

'I did not hold you to leave you Khushi Jha'  he hissed with a strange possessiveness in his voice.

'Yeah. You have hold on to me to make me go mad with worry while you enjoy your late night drives'  she shrug herself out of his hold.

'I was not freaking enjoying a late night drive. I needed to clear my head. I needed to think. And how dare you accuse me when you are the reason ... '  he stopped short as he realized what he was about to disclose.

'I am the reason? WOW. What the hell did I do?'  she spat.

'Nothing'  he left her wrist and started moving towards the stairs.

'Will you for once in life tell me what you are thinking? I am not some freaking GOD to read your thoughts. Arnavji if you leave from here right now, I swear this will be the last time you'll see me in this house'  she shouted after him.

He halted in his tracks, and after a few seconds turned around with a mad fury dancing in his eyes.

'What did you say?'  he hissed.

She instantly gulped 'God, did I not decide to NOT threaten him EVER. When will I learn?'.

'What.did.you.just.say?'  he hissed again.

'I did not mean it'  she resorted to damage control.

'Then WHAT do you mean when you say that this will be the last time I'll see you in this house'  he asked moving towards her now.

'What did I do that made you go out at this ungodly hour?'  she tried to divert him, away from her threat.

'This is not the answer to my question'  he growled.

'I didn't get answer to my question either'  she replied back.

'You don't seem to understand when I say that you are not going from here EVER'  his eyes were spitting fire now.

'And YOU don't seem to understand how your irresponsible behavior trouble people'  Khushi used last of her courage to answer back.

'Seriously? I don't understand? And YOU are saying that'  his voice was full of mockery.

Khushi kind of sensed that they were not talking about the same thing anymore. What was he implying? She had no idea, and no answer, so she just kept looking at him.

'You have no freaking idea of what I understand. And you have no bloody clue of what I go through while you prance around with your friends Khushi Jha. So don't try to tell me that I don't understand, for it is you who needs to understand things here'  he had come dangerously close to her, making her sleep deprived mind dizzy.

'I ... don't ... understand '  she stammered, lost in the trance his closeness was weaving around her.

Before she could take her next breath, his hand shot out and angrily pulled her close to himself by her nape. He had been baring his soul here and this woman refuses to understand anything, and he just could not take it anymore. His other hand snaked around her waist pulling her so close that their bodies were touching from their shoulders to their knees. He could feel her freeze in his hold, but he couldn't care less at present. He'll show her now, for he was never good with words. She has to know how he feels, in whatever way he could tell her. 

'Its high time you understand Khushi'  he growled looking into her wide hazel eyes.

And before she could process his words, his mouth crushed hers with a fierce possessiveness and an intense demand to be loved back the way he had been loving her. Her hands automatically sought support on his shoulders as a strange sensation reverberated throughout her body, thawing her frozen senses. Her first instinct was to push him and scream, but his hold was way strong and her traitor throat refused to co-operate. All it let out was something akin to a muffled gasp. His lips, his smell, his warm breath on her face were rapidly paralyzing her all other senses. And when his hand started moving up and down her back, jolting her out of the abyss she was spiraling into, she half heartedly tried again, opened her mouth to find her voice, trying to wriggle away from her fiance who had held her entire being a prisoner under his touch. But it just paved the way for his tongue to infiltrate her parched mouth, making her a lost cause after that. Her hand clutched his shirt in a bunch and she leaned into him, giving up, letting him take control of whatever they were doing, for she had no will-power left to fight against this surreal feeling coursing up and down her body any more.

When he sucked on them, he realized how delicious her rosy plump lips were. When she was trying to wriggle out of his hold, his body realized how soft she was. When he tasted her mouth, his senses realized how sweet and untouched she was.  And just now, when she gave in to his passionate demand, he realized how well she fits in with him. His demanding kiss slowly turned into a passionate one, savoring the moment, securing her trembling form in his arms. He eagerly tilted his head, adjusting his insistent mouth and her hesitant one, relishing and ravishing this beautiful woman as deeply as possible, crushing her supple frame into his chiseled one. He was in heaven right now and had no intentions to come back. But the blasted sense of responsibility came knocking after a few minutes into his brain. He knew they had to stop, and that too real soon, else they won't be able to. At least he won't be. She is too new to physical aspects of a relationship and most probably not ready for what lays ahead. But he knows all about it, and that gave him the unwanted duty to step back. He sighed into her mouth, stopping his onslaught there, only to feel her inexperienced exploration going on. 'Arghhh ... she will be the death of me one day'  he groaned. He called on a superhuman will-power and unwillingly started to pry away his mouth from hers. 'Uhunnmmmnnnooo' came an instant  unintelligible dazed protest from her, and a feeble attempt to hold him back , making every shred of Arnav's self control go for a toss then and there.

 

As the clock ticked by, he battled to regain his lost senses, while her bruised heart found solace in totally relinquishing hers.