Before beginning with the chapter kindly read this NOTE first. It's quite important. 😊
Chapter 28: The Reunion
Everyone in the room had eyes for them but they had eyes only for each other. Everyone's heart blessed them but their biggest blessing was being together.
As the Pundit chanted centuries old verses, Arnav and Khushi had their gazes fixed at each other. She could see him from the corner of her eye, seated beside her in a traditional groom's outfit. He looked just as calm and happy as she felt herself.
He gave her ghost of a s mile as he realised she was studying him and she averted her gaze, blushing.
There was excitement buzzing within her and though she had already been his wife once, this felt more real, more satisfying.
She snapped out of her happy thoughts when the pundit asked Shashi to take part in the Kanyadaan' ritual. She was almost smiling when her father put her hand into Arnav's.
This was a ritual of significance, a ritual where a father happily offers his daughter's hand to a person he can trusts her with, to a man he believes would give his daughter no less happiness than she deserves.
Arnav knew the importance of this, as explained by her Di. As he held Khushi's hand in his he swore to himself that he would do everything in his might to keep his wife happy, to keep his Khushi happy. Not only because he loves her, but also because this man before him trusted him with something as precious as his daughter.
He would love and cherish Khushi. He would give her the respect he had denied her in the six months of their contract marriage. He would try to make up for every tear he brought to her eyes. Making these vows mentally to himself, he tied the Mangalsutra' around her neck and filled her partition with the sacred crimson powder.
Flowers were showered and blessings were given as Arnav and Khushi were pronounced husband and wife.
To both of them, this meant more than they could say. This was all both of them had wanted for a long time, to be together. Rest was going to be fine. There will be conflicts and hardships in their relationship because no relationship is perfect. But, they will find their way out of everything. They were sure of it.
~~***~~
Anjali was busy decorating the room by her taste. She had already checked it once before they had left for the Gupta house. After the wedding rituals were done with, she had headed out of the place along with the driver. She knew this was crazy of her. She shouldn't have come alone but everyone was soon to be here.
She had to see if everything was in shape and place. This was her Chote's wedding and nothing should be any less than it could be. Just as she sprinkled some more rose petals on the huge master bed, a smile reached up to her face.
It felt nice to know her Chote finally had a woman who would love him just as much he was loved by her. Khushi was the best her Chote could have. She was happy for him, happy for Khushi too. Both of them, Arnav and Khushi, had gone through a lot before this day had arrived in their lives.
"Let them have a beautiful life ahead, Devi Maiya" Anjali silently prayed before giving a last look to the room and finding it perfect, she dimmed the lights and took an exit.
"You shouldn't have hurried here all by yourself" she heard the voice she had grown accustomed to in a matter of few days.
"I know but I couldn't help. And I wasn't alone. I brought Mohan ji along" Anjali defended herself, turning to face Abhay who stood in the hallway.
"Come on Anjali. You know you shouldn't have come alone. Why didn't you tell me before leaving?" Abhay asked, not buying her excuse.
"I told Payal" She replied, aware that she was alone in the house with Abhay Singh, her new found friend.
Abhay had been a total stranger to her the first time she had met him. But with every new meeting, she had felt herself being drawn to him. He was crazy at first, making odd jokes and being goofy but she had eventually realised that he was just as lonely as her.
His happy-go-lucky attitude was his way of putting up with his loneliness. He had lost his mother a few years back and his father had always been a practical man. He and his father weren't as close as Abhay wanted them to be. That was one reason why Abhay greatly respected Shashi Gupta. He had seen a better father in him.
Anjali, of course, didn't know any of this at first but as she had started to spend more time with Abhay, he had opened up to her. The wedding preparations had given the two, time to come close and be friends.
"You think telling Payal is enough?" Abhay asked and took a step towards Anjali whose eyes widened in surprise.
This was the first time Abhay looked scary to her.
"Of course! Who else I had to tell? Everyone was busy with the rituals" Anjali replied, trying to ignore the intensity of Abhay's gaze.
"You could have found me and informed. I would have come along" Abhay replied, taking another step at her.
"It's no big deal, Abhay. Stop patronizing me" Anjali replied, trying to look unaware of and unaffected by his raging concern for her. She could feel a charge in the air, one she found oddly comforting yet disturbing.
"Patronizing? I worry, Anjali." Abhay said, now standing close to Anjali who had backed down against the door of Arnav-Khushi's room.
"You don't have to" Anjali replied.
"But I do. You are my friend." Abhay finished in a serious tone and Anjali had to gulp. She was extremely aware of the proximity between their bodies. Her baby bump was almost touching his body.
"Promise me that now onwards you will be more careful now" He asked of her and she nodded, wishing now he would back off.
"Good." He whispered, tilting his head to a side and whispering near her ear.
Anjali felt dizzy by the proximity and looked up at Abhay's face.
He was smiling crookedly now.
"How did you know I had come home?" Anjali asked the first question she could frame to ward off the awkwardness she had started to feel.
"Payal sold you off. " Abhay winked and just like that he was back to his jovial self.
"Now come with me. We have got to wait for the couple to reach here. In the meantime, tell me what names you have in mind for my prince" Abhay said and Anjali smiled.
"It's going to be a girl." She told him, as they walked out of the corridor.
"How do you know? I am pretty confident we'll have a prince" Abhay replied and Anjali felt a tug at her heart as Abhay said we'. This was something Shyam should have said but the man was too busy plotting the death of his own child. A thin sheen of tears rose in her eyes as the thought once again took her to the bad memories.
"Hey..Hey.. No tears.. If you want a girl that bad..It's going to be a girl. Okay? No crying. I love girls" Abhay quickly scooted closer to Anjali and she leaned into his comforting arms.
~~***~~
The car stopped right before Shantivan and Arnav stepped down first.
He walked to the other side of the elegantly decorated car and opened the door for Khushi. She smiled at him and holding his hand, got down the vehicle.
As the two walked towards the main door, the car whizzed off towards the parking.
"Welcome to the house, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada" He said as they stood at the threshold and everyone in the family rushed to welcome the couple.
Anjali was the last one to reach them with Abhay closely following her, which brought a mental frown on Arnav's forehead.
"Welcome Khushi ji and Chote" She said with a teary smile and hugged Khushi.
"Let Khushi Bitiya enter in, Anjali Bitiya" Nani ji said with a big smile and Anjali pulled back from the hug.
While Anjali was still busy filling in the view of her Chote standing next to his bride, Payal placed the rice filled Kalash' at the threshold of the house. Happy tears rose to Khushi's eyes as she pushed it with the touch of her right foot.
Arnav recalled the last time they had done the ritual and without waiting for someone to tell him, he swept Khushi off the floor and scooped her up into his arms.
Abhay and Akash whistled while Nani, Anjali and Payal grinned. Manorama couldn't help but smile at the eagerness of her Arnav Bitwa.
Khushi blushed hard and looked at Arnav's love filled eyes. She could see his eyes glinting with same hopes as hers.
"Good luck, Bhai"
"Good luck, Khushi"
Aakash and Abhay said at the same time and looking at each other, burst into laughter.
The icy glares from Arnav as he climbed the stairs to his room and Nani ji made the two stop in their tracks and cough to silence.
"I am glad Chote decided to remarry Khushi ji" Anjali mentioned as everyone walked towards the living room.
"Exactly Anjali Bitiya" Manorama picked up the conversation and continued her explanation of how she enjoyed the shopping sprees for the wedding.
While everyone further indulged in the conversation, reciting their personal favourite moments from the wedding, no one had the time to notice the more than often furtive glances Abhay kept sending in Anjali's direction.
~~***~~
Arnav pushed open the door of his room with the help of his leg and stepped in with Khushi still held carefully in his arms.
"Now put me down, Arnavji." A blushing Khushi requested of him but all she earned in return was one of the trademark smirks of her husband.
"Why? Not comfortable in your husband's arms, Mrs. Raizada?" Arnav teased her.
"I am, but I don't think you'd like to spend the entire night holding me in your arms" Khushi replied with a half-amused smile.
"Try me, missus. I can spend the rest of my life holding you in my arms, only if you will let me" Arnav answered and hearing to that Khushi's heart swelled.
"I know, Arnavji. But, wouldn't that hurt your back?" She asked innocently and it was Arnav's turn to be amused.
"Yeah, I guess but it will be worth it." Arnav said as he carefully placed her on the center of the bed.
"Here you go. Do you want to get fresh first?" He asked, going back to the door and locking it.
"No, I'll go after you" Khushi smiled at her husband as he uncomfortably undid the first two buttons of his Sherwani.
"I love you. Be right back." Arnav mouthed and grabbing some clothes vanished into the bathroom.
By the time he stepped out, dressed in a black sweatshirt and a pair of trousers, Khushi had removed the heavy jewellery she was wearing and had cleaned her face of the makeup Payal had forced she needed to put on.
Now she was standing before the mirror in her lehenga and Choli, the dupatta already discarded on the bed, and trying to undo her well done hair. It was then she felt Arnav behind her.
"Allow me" He murmured softly as his hands found hers and looking at Arnav into the mirror, she gasped at the contact of his cool fingers with her warm ones.
She drew her hands back and within seconds, Arnav's deft fingers were busy pulling out the pins from her hair. With each removed pin, strands of silken hair fell out of the bun, covering her shoulder and hugging the sides of her face.
"This is the last one" Arnav murmured again, gently leaning in and placing his lips against her ear. Khushi's breath caught in her throat, she looked at their reflections in the mirror and seeing the intimate picture they presented, heat flushed her cheeks.
"That's how we look together" Arnav caught her gaze and whispered to her.
As she tore her gaze from the mirror, Arnav placed his hands on either sides of her waist and made her turn towards him.
"Thank you, Khushi" He told her as she looked into his eyes.
"Thank you for being my wife." He said. Khushi could read whole of him in his eyes and she felt she was lucky to have Arnav as her husband, a man who loved her so much.
"Aap ko bhi Thank you" she replied and Arnav once again lifted her in his arms.
"Now, I am not going to say I love you, Khushi. Because now, I am going to show you how much I love you" He said throatily and Khushi could only nod.
~~***~~
The next morning, Arnav felt something warm and heavy on his chest and it woke him up. As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Khushi's head resting on his chest.
With that, the images of the last night flashed before his eyes. He could recall each moan he elicited out of his wife, every single time she called out his name because of the pleasure he brought her.
A smile rose to his eyes and his lips as he recalled how his innocent wife had equally returned the favour to him.
He looked at her sleeping form and then gently shifted her head to the pillow. She murmured a sleepy disapproval but went back to sleep. Arnav, in the meanwhile kept admiring her face, the serenity and calmness of it.
He bent down and placed his lips on hers.
"Good morning" He whispered softly and got down the bed, deciding not to disturb her sleep.
By the time he was out of the bathroom, bathed and refreshed, Khushi had woken up and was sitting lazily on the bed, hugging her knees close to her chest.
"Morning" He gave her one of his rarest smiles and she blushed, the images of past night vivid in her mind.
"Good morning" She replied and followed him with her gaze as he walked to the wardrobe. A single white towel wrapped around his lower body was the only piece of clothing on him. Khushi couldn't help but admire her husband.
"I hope you like what you see" She heard him comment and quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks hot from embarrassment.
"Don't be shy, Mrs. Raizada. I am all yours to ogle and devour" Arnav replied, moving away from the wardrobe and walking back towards the bed.
"Umm. I too should go and get fresh" Khushi made an effort to jump out of the bed but Arnav had already been quick. He was standing next to her in a second, still wearing the same towel and now a smirk on his face.
"I have an urgent meeting in an hour, Khushi" he told her and she looked up at him.
"Meeting?"
"Yeah. It's unavoidable so I need to go out. But, since we have an hour at hand shouldn't we make the best use of it?" Arnav suggested with a raised eyebrow.
Khushi got the meaning of it and blushed again.
"I have to go down and help in the kitchen and I also need to take a bath before that" She answered timidly.
"No, you don't have to. Everyone understands you are the new bride, Khushi. You have got to spend time with your husband" Arnav answered and before Khushi could answer to that, he was already halfway to her lips.
She closed her eyes as she felt his breath on her lips and waited with bated breaths.
"Open your eyes, Khushi" He asked her and she implied, looking up at him.
"Better" He smiled and the next instant his lips had landed upon hers, tasting them, worshipping them.
She whimpered in pleasure as his lips moved with love and passion upon hers and within a minute she lay under him, her body pressed in the bed and his hands all over her body.
Khushi could again feel the desire from the past night stir deep within her body and quickly searched for the one and only thing which could satisfy it.
"Damn it! Khushi" Arnav groaned in her ear as her hand reached to his towel and she undid it.
She was wearing nothing more than the see-through nightgown she had put on before going back to sleep last night and it didn't took Arnav much effort to get her out of it.
Both of them were as close as they could physically get once the clothes were out of their way. Khushi's hands were in his hair, pulling at them as he was busy positioning himself to get inside of her, again.
"Arnavji" She whispered his name as their bodies united again. When Arnav started moving, Khushi let the pleasure take her over. She tried to match his rhythm like last night and as both of them headed to the precipice of pleasure, they abandoned the world behind, letting each other be their worlds.
~~***~~
Khushi felt sore in a good way as she later walked down to the kitchen to see if there was something she could help with. She found Payal in the kitchen who was smiling mischievously at her and Khushi feigned she didn't know the reason behind it.
"Morning, Khushi. I wasn't sure you were going to come out of your room today" Payal commented and laughed heartily as Khushi looked scandalized by the comment.
"What? Remember how you pulled my leg when it was my time? Now it's my turn" Payal answered cheekily.
"Not fair, Jeeji" Khushi blushed and answered.
"Oh, it's only fair, Khushi." Payal answered.
"Did everyone have the breakfast?" Khushi asked, preparing a glass of milk for herself.
"Trying to change the subject now, are we?" Payal asked.
"I should go and see if Arnavji needs something with the breakfast" Khushi answered and quickly hurried out of the kitchen to the breakfast table with Payal giggling in the background.
~~***~~
Khushi pulled back from the not so subtle and overheated goodbye kiss her husband was giving her and asked him to come back home safe.
Arnav smiled at her typical wife statement and nodded.
"I'll be back before the lunch hour" He answered and exited.
Khushi was heading back into the house when she noticed Abhay's car pulling into the driveway.
"Hey, Khushi" Abhay called her as he got down his car and walked towards her.
"Hi, Abhay." Khushi answered with a smile of the same intensity as Abhay was flashing her.
"You here? So early in the morning?" Khushi asked as they walked in through the main door.
"Yup. Came to check on you if you had a nice, lovely sleep last night?" Abhay answered and Khushi glared at him too.
"What? Did Arnav exhaust you too much?" Abhay asked with his tongue in cheeks and Khushi smacked him on the arm.
"Ouch!" Abhay fake winced making Khushi roll her eyes.
"Okay, the small talk is over. Now, where's Anjali?" Abhay asked out of nowhere just as Khushi was opening her mouth to say something. She closed her mouth and looked at his friend with suspicion before she replied with a question of her own.
"What do you need from Di?" She asked.
"Today's her appointment with her doctor. I am here to take her there" Abhay answered, his eyes already running towards the direction of Anjali's room.
"Why will you take her?" asked Khushi, her detective skills kicking in. As far as she remembered, Anjali normally went for her check-ups with either Payal or Mamiji.
"Because I volunteered, Sherlock Holmes! Now get out of my way." Abhay replied and dashed towards Anjali's room before Khushi could stop him.
What is up with this guy, Khushi wondered.
~~***~~
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