Chapter 121
[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
[NOCOPY]
(Thanx a million, Naughtymallu!)
FINDING KHUSHI
Part 28
Section 3
Ganesh was setting up tripods for a shoot when he felt someone watching him.
He turned around to see Anamika standing near the door.
Dressed in a white tunic and dark chocolate pants, she looked her normal self if one discounted the faint bruising under her eyes.
Ganesh smiled at her, putting her at ease. He set the equipment aside.
"Good morning, Madam." Vinni greeted Anamika, who responded with a faint smile. "Commander, chodiye. Hum dekh lenge." Vinni said, smiling at Ganesh as she brushed past him.
Ganesh nodded his thanks, and walked towards Anamika. Both of them left the room silently, and walked into Ganesh's office. He shut the door, feeling that she would prefer it.
Anamika looked around. How many times had she been here? Too many times to count. The racks with books and journals were on the point of collapsing under the weight. The priceless landscapes on the wall. The table with his laptop and other requirements of his work. His music system'
She turned around to look at him.
"Ganesh'" she started and stopped, not knowing how to go on.
"Did you sleep last night?" Ganesh asked.
She looked at him, startled, for a moment.
"No'" she whispered.
Ganesh smiled ruefully. "So I succeeded in stealing your sleep, but for the wrong reasons."
Anamika looked at him, swallowing hard.
"I am too old for this romance thing, I guess." Ganesh laughed. "I need to ask Gaurav for tips on how not to scare the girl you love."
Anamika rushed up to him and threw her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his hard, rock-like chest.
"There is nothing wrong with you, Ganesh. It is all me." she whispered.
"What is it?" Ganesh asked softly, his right hand patting her head. His left hand did not touch her. The last thing he wanted to do was remind her of the horrible attack on her.
Anamika crawled closer to him, her fingers gaining purchase in the soft cloth of his navy blue T-shirt.
"I am a mess, Ganesh. Totally messed up, totally, totally messed up'", she confessed, her face buried in his vast chest, breathing in his clean sandalwood scent. It was so familiar, so, so safe, like a lullaby soothing her frayed nerves'
Ganesh remained silent, his silence giving her the space to think and confess.
"After'after that terrible incident'. Ganesh, I'I don't like being touched. Only Gaurav touches me. And now Khushi'"
"Hhmm..." Ganesh said softly, looking at her.
Anamika ran her hands up his back, pressing herself closer to him. Her feet moved closer to his. She clasped him close, so close that a postage stamp would fail to fit in between them.
"I don't like touching anybody. I hate being touched." Anamika confessed in a low voice. "If I marry you, then'"
Ganesh looked down at her, and hid his smile. She had plastered herself against him so thoroughly that she could not touch him anymore.
"Anamika'"
"You will be disappointed in me'" she whispered.
"Anamika, I will never be disappointed in you. Never. Whatever happens." Ganesh said firmly. "I think you are the strongest woman in this world, and the best human being I have come across. I am honoured to know you."
"I don't think I could bear it if I disappointed you'" she whispered.
"You won't have to bear it, because you will never disappoint me.", he whispered back.
Anamika looked into his face, her eyes slightly pink with unshed tears.
Ganesh asked her, "Do you dislike touching me, Anamika?"
Anamika looked at him, and then at her arms which were around him. Conscious, she tried to withdraw her arms, but Ganesh stopped her.
"No." she said.
"Why don't you dislike touching me, Anamika?" he asked gently.
She looked at him, lost for an answer.
Ganesh waited.
Finally, she said, "Because I feel safe with you. Because I know that you will never hurt me. Because you'you never touch me even if I touch you."
Ganesh smiled at her. "Let us take this slowly, Anamika. We need to get used to touching and being touched."
Anamika nodded her agreement.
"To do this effectively, we need to be together. For long stretches of time. In private."
Anamika nodded slightly.
"Why don't we get married? That will let us live together, under one roof. It will give us time to experiment, to practice." Ganesh smiled gently at her.
Anamika looked at him, all her fears in her eyes. He could cry at her distress.
"What if I can never'?" she asked tremulously.
"Then we live with it. Together." Ganesh said.
Arnav picked up the phone. "Khushi?"
"Arnavji, can you come home early from office tomorrow? And spend the afternoon with me?" she asked nicely.
"Tomorrow?" He looked at his schedule. He didn't have time to breathe. "Sorry, Khushi. I have meetings after meetings."
Khushi frowned. "In movies, the hero goes down on his knees in front of the heroine, and says, 'My life is at your feet.' And here, I am stuck with a man who can't even give me an afternoon of his day!" she pouted.
Arnav smiled.
"What will you do with me if I give you my afternoon?" He sounded hopeful.
"I will take you out to see a phillum. We can watch Salman Khanji or Hrithik Roshanji or Shahrukh Khanji' or any actor you like." She was very generous in offering him entertainment.
Arnav's mouth fell & remained open.
She went on, throwing light on the many treats in store for him. "Arnavji, you don't have to feel bad that Anjaliji, Mamiji, and Naniji won't be able to see the phillum. They, Buaji, Jiji, & Jijaji too will be coming with us. Nanheji said he wants to play some game with Gaurav, and so won't be coming for the movie."
"They'they are all coming'?" Arnav managed to speak.
"Haan! Isn't that wonderful?" she asked.
It was many things, but they were not things to sully her ears with.
"Arnavji, please come with us. Please? It will be so much fun with you there." she pleaded.
Arnav consigned his meetings to the darkest depths of his dustbin.
"Khushi, I will come with you." he said.
The next moment he had to hold the phone away from his ear as her screech of joy was loud enough to tear his eardrum.
Arnav smiled.
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