Transcendental Bonds ~ Pt.6 Pg.25 18/02/2013 - Page 8

|| Part 3 ||

The dinner was a quiet affair. Except when Sage Shastradhaari announced a fight between Khushi and Arnav the next day, and loud cheers erupted around them. Arnav was even more agitated after that, barely eating a morsel. And he refused to even glance at Khushi, neglecting the fact that she did her best to make him just to do that. Akash, who was with Arnav, and was being mentored by Sage Shastradhaari too, had witnessed everything. His Bhai's strength - which, evidently had turned him into some crazed monster, the tension rolling out of his brother when the fight was announced. He could understand the tension. And after dinner, when they were getting ready to sleep, he questioned his brother, genuinely curious to know how the relationship between his brother and bhabhi-to-be would pan out.

"Bhai. I know it is none of my business and you would have given a thought about it. But. . . How would you be. . . . you know?? After you marry bhabhi, and when you two are together. . . And since she is with you all the time, you have this magnanimous strength always too, which you need to keep under your control. And though we lack practical knowledge, we know that when we. . . . love, we would be losing that control. So how do you reckon you would love bhabhi?" Akash asked, his eyes, completely missing out the exasperated expression on his brother's face. "Sleep, Akash." Arnav ordered, and Akash pressed, "But?" And at the glare he obtained from his brother, he waved a white flag of peace. "Okay. Please do not attack me. Your talisman is still glowing which means that you would probably break a bone or two of mine if you hit me, which I do not need right now. Or ever, for that matter!" Arnav sighed and left from the room because all of a sudden, it had got too stifling.

He quietly wandered to the cottage where he knew Khushi was staying, and peeked through the window. He saw her kneeling in front of the small statue of her goddess and praying with an earnest expression on her face. She opened her eyes and said, "You can always come in. There is no need for you to wait outside." Not really sure how she had sensed him like this, he lifted the curtain which acted like the door to the cottage and entered it. He sat down, his eyes still not meeting hers, his shoulders set in that tensed manner. She walked to him and knelt in front of him, and waited for him to look up. He sighed and became slightly relaxed as he took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles before he kissed it. He heard Khushi's sharp intake of breath and finally looked up into her eyes. He noted with some smugness that her eyes had turned hooded, and she was barely controlling herself from displaying the desire which was slowly arising in her. He wondered how things had changed between them.

When she was a baby, he had lifted her in his unsteady arms ' no. Not unsteady arms. For her presence had given him strength even when he was just seven years old - listening to her meaningless blabber with all the attention in the world. And when she had indeed started to speak, and her first word had been a toothy "annav", his young chest had expanded with pride. He would make her sit on his shoulders and walk around. Wherever she wanted to go, and whatever she wanted to do, he was there. Always. And then it had been decided that Arnav was to be sent to be trained as a warrior, and before that Khushi and Arnav were declared engaged. Arnav was twelve and Khushi five. She had not known what all that meant back then, though he did. To a certain extent. This meant she was his. Forever. And he had been so happy. Then the heartbreaking separation had taken place, and they both had learned to console their wounded hearts by writing letters. Khushi had pestered her father to get her a trained pigeon to carry her letters to Arnav and his letters back to her. And their friendship had slowly turned into playful flirting, and they had discussed about their future together, their family, their children, et al.

And now this. This new emotion. This raw desire which was starting to grow. Small kisses and pecks had always been there, even as they grew up together. But both knew that those chaste kisses were completely different than this single kiss that Arnav had given on her knuckles. And when they gazed into each other's eyes, understanding what was transpiring between them, it was all Arnav could take, as he pulled her onto his lap and clamped his mouth on hers. His arms tightening around her, he pulled her as close as he could. And she was in no way objecting to it too. For she knew she was his and whatever he decided to do, was completely his bidding. Her hands which were first on his shoulder, slowly went back and buried themselves in his soft, unruly hair, tugging it gently and making his chest thrum in a low growl. He kissed her with all the veneration he felt for this angel in his arms, and after a while he saw that he was not even trying to control his passion and yet he was not hurting her in anyway. He frowned as this realization struck him. This made him heave a sigh of relief. Relief and hope that there was a chance where he might end up not hurting Khushi.

As his breath washed over her face, Khushi felt her desire ride up another notch. She could also make out that Arnav was getting distracted from their kiss, and she repositioned herself, so that she was now sitting astride over him. But he pulled back from their first kiss. She frowned, still staring longingly at his lips and her tongue darted to her lower lip, tasting him on her lip. He groaned as he got up and pulled her up along with him. "Are you really sure you want to do this?" Arnav asked and Khushi nodded eagerly, as she covered the small gap between them, and put her arms around his neck, ready to get kissed out of her mind. But Arnav kept her at a decent distance as he smirked at her and replied, "I meant the fight, your highness." The force with which she was broken out of the trance of her first tryst with desire was like someone had splashed cold water on Khushi's face. She staggered back a few steps as she struggled to gather the shreds of her dignity and heaved a reply among the shallow breaths she was taking in, "Of course, I am ready."

"I want you to tell me when it starts getting too much. You have to help me here, highness. Since I know not what to expect. Moreover I have not still forgiven you for making me go through all this." Arnav said and he sounded more like a recalcitrant child by the end of his speech. Khushi smiled warmly at the sight of this, and she said, "I am here to do just that, my lord. I was brought here, because you had to learn to handle this strength. Trust me on this. It shall be fine. Say, something were to go wrong," Arnav looked up with shocked eyes, and she continued, undeterred, "Were death to come to me with your form, I would take death with a smile on my lips." Arnav's hands were trembling with a multitude of emotions. "You're not really helping here, Khushi." he stated and shut his eyes tight to gather some semblance of control. She held his clenched fist and eased them out, and when he finally opened his eyes to look at her, she said, "It will be fine. Go and rest, my lord."

Arnav smiled a small, uncertain smile, before he pulled her to the cozy bed in the corner of the room and made her sleep, and pulled the hand-made quilt over her. Kissing her forehead, he said, "Your readiness for our next tryst baffles me, highness!" Arnav stated and Khushi blushed scarlet, wishing she had not displayed her emotions so eagerly. "Sleep well, my love." Arnav put her to ease, running his knuckles over her blushing cheeks, making them go even brighter. He came to his room, and remembering how she had assured that it would all be fine, he fell into a disturbed sleep.

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