Chapter 1

A_BA

@A_BA

[MEMBERSONLY]

[NOCOPY]

Never

"Hi."

The husky voice interrupted the woman sitting at the bar, causing her to break out of her reverie as she was enjoying her drink in isolation.

"Hey." She saw him roam his eyes from her top to bottom lasciviously, and mimicked his actions; her eyes returned to his captivating molten brown eyes.

"Mind if I take a seat here," he asked, as he made his way to the bar stool next to her.

Nodding in agreement, she smiled as she saw him unbutton his coat and get comfortable in his seat.

"So what's a pretty girl like you doing here all yourself? Don't tell me you are drowning your sorrows into that drink," he inquired as he pointed to the glass in her hand.

"Nothing like that," she indicated vaguely.

Continuing to poach her with general questions, the hazel-eyed beauty in turn finally loosened up after a while, allowing them both to enjoy a steady conversation based on neutral topics interspersed with sharing amusing anecdotes, as the drinks continued to pour. When the conversation came to a standstill, the man stood up and held out his hand to the woman.

"I was hoping that maybe you would want to get out of here and talk in a more intimate setting," he proposed suggestively, leaving all the insinuations out on the table.

Gazing at the ashen face of the lady with whom he was conversing for a good hour, he asked if he insulted her.

"Arnavji, is this really how it's done?" Khushi asked feeling despondent.

"Khushi, I can't believe you gave up so quickly," Arnav answered with a smirk as he held her shoulders in a comforting position after he sat back down.

***

The newly married Raizada's were invited to a birthday party in honor of one of Arnav's associates, who also happened to be one of his oldest friends. Arnav had wanted to decline the invitation as the event was to be held in a pub; his wife didn't drink and he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. Khushi however insisted on attending the party, as she and Arnav had never had a real chance to hit the town and go out on in this manner. Furthermore, she didn't want Arnav to upset his friend on her behalf. On the night of the party, Khushi surprised Arnav with her new avatar when he saw her dressed in a red sequenced dress that was paired with black tights; she had resisted the urge to wear her usual anarkali style dress.

As they entered the posh pub, Khushi was introduced to Arnav's friend, Rahul, his wife Sonia and a few other guests that were present in celebrating Rahul's 30^th birthday. Sonia felt the need to take Khushi under her wing as it was Khushi's first time with this group of friends and convinced her to join her at table that was set in the corner of the venue. Wanting to enjoy the night and meet new people, Khushi gladly accepted Sonia's suggestion and followed her to the booth, where three other women were seated with drinks already in hand.

"Hey everyone, this is Khushi. She is Arnav's wife." Sonia started the introductions.

"And Khushi, these are my best friends from childhood, Megha, Tanya and Ria."

After settling in their seats, the women enjoyed getting to know one another better as they ordered more drinks.

"Khushi, you don't drink," Megha inquired curiously after hearing Khushi's order of a fruit juice.

"No, I don't drink. In fact, I have never had any alcoholic beverage before," Khushi proudly stated.

"What? How is that even possible?" Tanya squealed in astonishment.

As the conversation continued, Sonia cut in unexpectedly.

"How about we play a little game in order for you get to know us better, and vice versa," she suggested to Khushi. She explained that she was watching a popular Bollywood movie in which a group of friends took turns to share something that they had never done, and if someone else from the group had done it already, they would have to take a shot. Since Khushi was not comfortable with real shots, she was allowed to take shots from her juice. As the rules of the game were established, more people joined the group, enabling them all to go over multiple scenarios.

"Khushi has already gone, as she's said she's never had a drink before," Sonia commenced, prompting all of the other participants to take their first shot.

Ria went next. "I've never gone bungee jumping," she lamented, to which Megha and another girl took a shot.

"I've never been to Japan."

"I've never been on a helicopter."

"I've never taken a rickshaw."

Khushi was slightly taken aback at how many things the others had done that she had never experienced, as evidenced by the almost full glass sitting in front of her and the tipsy disposition of the other ladies. The innocent scenarios became a lot more risque as the game continued and the drinks continued to flow.

"I've never had a one night stand."

"I've never kissed a girl."

Khushi's eyes widened dramatically at what she was hearing. Always one to consider that intimate relations should not be shared with other people, she was shocked that not only were they more than willing to talk about it, but the girls had done things that were beyond her comprehension; different positions, locations, partners and a lot more intimate details were mentioned too casually for her liking. She couldn't even bring herself to take a sip out of her juice when she had actually done one of the aforementioned things with her husband, though she was sure her flushed cheeks gave her away at times.

Sensing Khushi's discomfort from across the room, Arnav swiftly made his way to his wife, and heard the tail end of one of the statements made by Sonia, to which a couple of the girls took a shot after.

"Do you mind if I take my wife away for a little bit," Arnav cut in.

Relief swept through Khushi at Arnav's timely interruption and she got up to join Arnav after promptly thanking the ladies for being so welcoming to her. She had enjoyed herself with them, but after a while, she was left gawking at the whole group as she had not done most of the things they had mentioned, leaving her feeling a little insecure.

Waiting until the birthday cake was presented and served, Arnav and Khushi took their leave. As they made their way home on the quiet streets of a hot Delhi night, Arnav asked Khushi the question he was meaning to ask since he came to what seemed like her rescue.

"Khushi, what were you girls talking about when I came to get you earlier?" He asked casually.

"We were just playing a game," she replied. After he asked her details about the same and she provided the answers, Khushi came clean about a thought that was gnawing at her.

"Arnavji, these girls have done so many things in their lives; I feel like I have missed out on so much," she confessed timidly.

Hating the dispiritedness voice emanating from his wife, Arnav wanted to rectify the situation immediately.

"Khushi, what were some of the things the other girls had done and you hadn't?" Arnav inquired, curious to know what had gotten his wife in such a somber mood.

"There were so many things Arnavji; bungee jumping, adventurous sports, traveling to foreign and exotic places, eating rare food and some other things," Khushi stopped vaguely.

Not one to miss the dip in her voice at her last words, Arnav quickly asked, "What other things?"

If she couldn't tell her husband, who could she tell, Khushi thought before blurting out loud, "Different positions, locations and techniques for you know what."

"What the!"

"They were even talking about one night stands and kissing other girls," Khushi said, slightly embarrassed at the scandalous nature of the topics.

Shocked himself at the topic of the conversation between the ladies, Arnav couldn't help but sense the tinge of disappointment in his wife's voice at not having done many of the things the other women had. Vowing to fulfill some of his wife's unsaid desires, Arnav hoped to start that very same night; he would definitely introduce Khushi to some of the more intimate things she had never experienced.

***

During the course of the previous year, Arnav had made it his mission to introduce Khushi to things she had never done before. During a business trip to New Zealand, he asked Khushi to come along. What better way to introduce her to adventure sports than come to the adventure capital of the world. After spending the night enjoying themselves in their luxurious hotel room that overlooked the harbor that was famous in the City of Sails, Arnav took Khushi to the legendary Sky Tower, a monument that stood tall in this small city. As they made their way to the observation deck nearly a thousand feet over ground level, Arnav surprised Khushi with an opportunity to bungee jump off the observation deck. Although initially scared, Khushi was reassured with Arnav's presence and support. Afterwards, she was content with her decision to take the risk, as the euphoric rush she got from jumping was worth the jitters she had originally had. They spent the remaining couple of days immersed in zip lining in the forest and white river rafting on high tides while visiting local sights and scenes. On their way back to India, they stopped in the island of Pattaya in Thailand, where Arnav had arranged for them for them to participate in water sports. In Thailand, they also got a chance to indulge in exotic fruits such as Duryan that neither of them had tried in India.

When Arnav was invited to a business conference in the famous Napa Valley wine country near San Francisco, he again whisked Khushi away with him. In the beautiful City by the Bay, they enjoyed walking on the glorious Golden Gate Bridge and rode the classic cable car that roamed around the city. Khushi marveled at how many women dressed in saris and Indian dresses she saw pass through on the bridge walk, earning a few chuckles from Arnav. When they finally made their way to Napa, Arnav had arranged for a hot air balloon ride to take them on a tour of the various vineyards and country side from high altitudes. After the conference concluded, a business associate offered Arnav a chance to stay at his chalet in Lake Tahoe, an area situated on the borders of the states of California and Nevada. Taking up the kind offer, Arnav and Khushi drove to the mountainous region where snowfall was abundant, allowing them to get a quick snowboarding lesson before they were to head back home.

When they finally got a chance to go on their long delayed honeymoon, Arnav surprised Khushi with a European vacation, where they visited multiple cities across different nations. In London, they took in the all the sights that were famous to the city, such as the Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and Big Ben. Khushi was amazed at how the guards kept their silence in front of the Queen's palace; a feat that she would never be able to accomplish. They ended their London segment with a visit to one of the famous theatre shows that played in Leicester Square. In Paris, they spent a beautiful time enjoying the romantic ambiance of the majestic city. When they stopped in Barcelona, Arnav had purchased tickets to watch a live football match at the historic Camp Nou stadium to witness the home town taking on their fierce rivals, Real Madrid. Watching the crowd of almost a hundred thousand ardent fans erupt when Arnav's favorite player, Messi, scored a goal to break a standstill was the most exhilarating sight to watch; something that Khushi could never forget. They ended their trip with a visit to the majestic tulip fields situated right outside the city of Amsterdam. Knowing Arnav's love for all things related to gardening, Khushi enjoyed seeing her husband's excitement while looking at the flowers.

The past year had been full of adventures and Arnav had accomplished in getting Khushi to experience new foods, places, and adventures; he himself also got a chance to experience new things in the process. She had caught on to his plan of introducing her to all these new things as a way of making her feel that she hadn't missed out on anything. She reassured him repeatedly that there was no need for him to do this for her, as she was fully content in her life with him and their family, but he was relentless with his mission. There was one thing left on the list that Arnav wanted to introduce Khushi to, albeit an improvised version. Wanting Khushi to experience the realities of a one night stand, Arnav had suggested a date night where they could role play as two strangers who meet in a hotel bar. However the result of this little experiment did not turn out as expected.

"Arnavji, I just can't believe people get intimate after just meeting once. It's like hello hi, bang bang, bye bye; so cheap and disgusting. I can't believe some of those girls were proud of this," Khushi mused.

Arnav chuckled at Khushi's take on his Mami's infamous line, but decided that joking about this issue was not going to help the situation seeing how upset she still was.

"Khushi, I just wanted to do this so you can never feel like you missed out on anything," Arnav revealed the real intent behind all his actions.

"Arnavji, I am glad that I have never done this before. I can't even imagine how cheap it would have made me feel. But I want to thank you for introducing me to all the other new experiences in the past year; though I have to admit I enjoyed all of it only because you were by my side throughout it all. Yes, I was a little sad at the time when I heard how much everyone else had done, but then I have had a year to ponder over it. Those girls have never gotten a chance to win your heart. They will never know what it feels to be loved by you, and to have your support. They would never dare to go head to head with you. And most of all, they will never feel the kind of contentment I have about you, and our life together. I guess I have realized that life is not about what I have never had or done; it's all about what I have - you, our love and our choti si dunya, and that is something I will have hamesha."

"Always," Arnav responded to her heartfelt confession tenderly.

When Arnav escorted Khushi out to the car that awaited them, Khushi calmly stated, "By the way Arnavji, there was one thing that that you didn't get me to experience."

"What's that?"

"I never got to kiss a girl," Khushi joked.

"Never," Arnav quickly replied. However, looking at his wife's mischievous facial expressions, he declared earnestly, "You can kiss our baby girl when she comes out." Smiling at his wife, he reached out to rub his palm over the slight baby bump she sported, reminding them both of the new adventure they were set to embark upon.

A/N: This is just a random idea that came to my mind. I would love to hear what you all thought about it, so please feel free to share your thoughts with me!