Dark Night Dawning Chapter 3

That evening, when Arnav came back home from work, he was extremely tired. He had another call scheduled in the next fifteen minutes. He sat on the living room sofa, laid his head back on it, closed his tired eyes and yelled at Hariprakash for a cup of coffee.

He opened his eye when the aroma of freshly brewed coffee reached his nostrils. ‘What the _____?’

He saw Khushi standing in front of him with a cup, a smile on her lips. There was something different about her. She was wearing a saree. There was nothing wrong with wearing a saree. He even liked them. The women in his house wore sarees. But he had seen nothing like this one.  It was in one of the oddest shades of pink with a bright gold border which she had pinned up on one side and then brought the pallu over her head in a ghoongat. No one except naniji did that in this house.

Then something caught his eye beyond her. He turned his head to see a bunch of kids staring at him.

‘What’s the hell is going on here, Khushi?’ asked Arnav.

‘Your coffee, Arnavji’ answered Khushi demurely.

‘I know that!’ he exclaimed rolling his eyes, ‘I am asking about them,’ he said pointing to the kids.

‘Oh, they are my students, Arnavji,’ explained Khushi, ‘When I came out to make coffee for you, they just tagged along.’

‘Tell them that this is not a circus and that they should wait for you in the room,’ said Arnav impatiently, ‘Moreover why did you come out here to make coffee. Where is Hariprakash?’

‘I told Hariprakashji that I will be taking care of all this from now on,’ she said, ‘Would you like me to take your laptop bag upstairs?’

‘What?’ asked Arnav incredulous, ‘No!’

‘Alright,’ she said, ‘If you don’t need anything else I will go back to my tuition. Please let me know if you need anything else Arnavji.’

Khushi walked back taking her students along with her, leaving Arnav totally confused. What was she up to?

Couple of hours later, Arnav on call with a client, paced about the room, deep in conversation. Suddenly, he found Khushi standing in front of him. Why had she crept up on him like that? She made a sign that it was time for dinner. He made a sign for her to go away. He resumed his meeting. In about 5 minutes she was back. After this process repeated two more times, he put the phone on mute.

‘Khushi!’ he exclaimed, ‘Can’t you see I am in a meeting? Leave me alone.’

‘It is very late Arnavji,’ she said firmly, ‘You will have to eat you dinner now, so that you can take your medication.’

‘Are you serious?’ he asked her anger rising in him.

‘Yes!’ she said coming up to him, she took his blue tooth device and threw it on the bed.

‘Do you know what this is going to cost me?’ he asked her with an incredulous stare, ‘This client is very important.’

‘So what?’ she said nonchalantly, ‘Ask them to call you tomorrow.’

‘They are overseas,’ he said with gritted teeth, ‘Do you even know what that means?’

‘Whatever!’ she said, ‘Health is more important.’

‘Go down Khushi,’ he said gritting his teeth, ’I will be there in 5 minutes.’

When he came down 10 minutes later, he saw Khushi standing by his chair. He realized that she was determined to continue with this drama. When he sat on his chair, she began to serve. After 5 minutes, Arnav began to pray for this ordeal to be over. To begin with, she was hovering about while he ate. He hated that. Then she began to talk about people he had no idea about. She told him about some funny incident about a relative from Lucknow who happened to be a theatre actor.

When he saw his Di walk up to them, he heaved a sigh of relief.

‘Khushiji, why don’t you have your dinner along with Chotey?’ she asked Khushi.

‘I wanted to serve Arnavji,’ she answered demurely’, ‘I will have my dinner after he is done.’

‘You don’t have to do that in this house Khushiji,’ explained Anjali, ‘Chotey, why don’t you tell her?

‘I don’t think there is any need for that Di,’ he said frustrated, ‘She knows _____’

‘NoDi…..I wanted to make sure he eats properly,’ she said lacing her voice with concern, ‘See how thin he is. I don’t want his sugar level to go down again.’

Half an hour later, Arnav was working on his lap top trying to send out an important e-mail when Khushi came into the room. He was thinking hard about a particular point he wanted to make when the sound of “Dinka Chika Dinka Chika” filled the room, disturbing his train of thought.

‘What the ____?’

Khushi had a small CD player next to her, while she sat arranging her clothes in the ward robe.

‘Shut the music off Khushi!’ he yelled, ‘I am working here.’

‘I like to listen to Sallu’s songs every night Arnavji,’ she said a small smile playing on her lips, ‘I am working too you know.’

‘I don’t care,’ he said harshly, ‘shut it off, now!’

When  he heard “Mausam hai suhana, kapde jodne ka hai bahana, what the, what the’, he got up from his seat, picked up his lap top and went out to the pool side, shutting the door behind him.

Khushi smiled to herself as she thought that life was so strange with her husband. Most husbands would be happy to have a wife who would wait on them day and night. But not her Laad Governor! He runs.

At breakfast he found Khushi dressed just like the previous day. She was doing it again. The hovering. No one seemed to notice how irritating it was. She ignored everyone and never left his side. He saw amused smiles from everyone at the table with the exception of Shyam who looked like he had swallowed a bitter pill.

When he got up to leave, she asked him ‘When will you be back from work, Arnavji?’

‘What!’ No one asked him what time he would be back unless it was an emergency.

‘I was asking so that I can cook hot dinner for you,’ she smiled showing her pearly white teeth.

Arnav was sure she had batted her eyelashes when she had said that. He walked away before he gave in to the urge to break something.

The disaster run continued for the next few days. The moment he opened his eyes, he would find a cup of tea in front of his face. After tea, his towel and cologne were neatly laid out on the bed. When he came out of shower, his suit was kept out along with his tie, wallet and kerchief. Even his shoes were kept out. Each day, he would discard the one laid out for him and choose another one just for the heck of it.

One night, Arnav came back from work late and in a foul mood. One of the junior executives had cost them a deal because of his incompetence and he had to step in to fire fight. In the middle of all the tension Khushi had called him number of times. Everyone at home knew that he hated taking personal calls at work. Since he hadn’t picked up her calls, she had left messages with his secretary which was becoming embarrassing forcing him to take the calls himself. She wanted to know if he had lunch and his meds, then one time she wanted to know where the spare key to the ward robe as she had misplaced the original one, then she wanted to know what time he was coming back home. As he stepped inside the house he saw Khushi waiting for him at the dinner table.

‘What are you doing here?’ he asked harshly.

‘I was waiting to serve you dinner.’

‘Stop this nonsense right away,’ he yelled, ‘I want to have my dinner in peace. So just leave me alone.’

‘But ______

‘Just get out of here. And I don’t want to see you wearing these stupid sarees anymore,’ he continued, ‘Do you understand?’

Khushi nodded her assent quietly and left.

When Arnav entered the room after his dinner, Khushi was fast asleep. He hadn’t meant to yell at her like that. But he was worked up because of the deal and she had it coming for a few days now. She had been bugging him with all her “extra” attention. Coming to think about it, Khushi had done nothing wrong. She had behaved like any dutiful wife would do. But he was allergic to that kind of stuff. Maybe Khushi would be happier with someone who would appreciate all her efforts ----- unlike him. He preferred to be left alone in his own world.He wasn’t husband material. That is exactly why he hadn’t wanted to marry in the first place. But he had to, hadn’t he? The memories came flooding back. He had decided to put it all behind him, when he had told her that theirs would be a permanent marriage. But he wondered about his decision. Though Khushi had revealed her feelings to some extent in Nainital, he couldn’t be sure because she hadn’t said anything specific. In fact, he didn’t even want to know. He didn’t deal with emotions very well. It was a long while before he could go to sleep.

Sleep eluded Khushi as well. When Arnav had come in to the room, she had been pretending to be asleep. She had sensed his restlessness and had begun to feel the same restlessness overtake her. When she heard him breathing steadily, she calmed down and fell into a deep slumber.

Anjali couldn’t sleep as well. She had watched since the past few days how Khushi had been trying to take care of Arnav and how he had resisted. She guessed she would have to be blamed for that. She was the one who had advised Khushi about giving attention to Arnav when she very well knew that he hated such things. She had hoped that Khushi would be able to get him out of his old habit eventually. Of course Khushi had taken it up a notch with the saree and ghooghat but that was no reason for Arnav to behave that way. When they had returned from Nainital, she had thought something had happened between them over there. She couldn’t be sure, but it was the way they would look at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking, their body language toward each other and most of all it was the way Khushi had positively glowed. She had finally looked like a newlywed bride. But now they were bickering again. She had to do something about it.

The next morning Arnav woke up again with the aroma of hot tea. However he was relieved to see that Khushi had abandoned those gaudy sarees for her suits which he had started to appreciate overnight. He heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like her madness was over.

When he came down, he saw the entire family was seated at the breakfast table. Payal and Akash were deciding which movie to go to in the evening and Khushi was back at his side -----hovering. He was about to say something when Anjali spoke up.

‘Khushiji, please sit down. I am sure Chotey will manage.’

When Khushi took her seat, she said in her usual chirpy voice, ‘I have heard that the new restaurant 13^th floor is pretty good.’

‘Do you want me to make reservations?’ asked Arnav buttering his toast, ‘ A table for two should not be a problem.’

‘Yes Chotey, and come home soon so you can pick up Khushiji,’ she said quickly.

‘What? I thought it was for you,’ said Arnav taken aback.

‘I thought it will be a change for Khushiji’

‘No way,’ he said firmly, ‘I have meetings scheduled at that time all week.’

‘Can’t you reschedule your meetings?’ she pouted.

‘Impossible Di, my meeting with this client didn’t go very well the last time, I have to work on damage control,’ he said looking pointedly at Khushi.

‘Why don’t you go instead Di?’ suggested Khushi looking at Anjali’s disappointed face.

‘Yes Rani Sahiba, that will be a good idea,’ interjected Shyam, ‘We could take Khushji with us.’

Arnav felt like slapping him right there.

‘No Di!’ exclaimed Khushi, ‘I mean, I don’t want to be kabab mein haddi.‘

‘No Khushiji, you won’t be,’ persuaded Shyam, ‘Don’t you think it will be good change for her Rani Sahiba?’

‘Please don’t say no Khushiji,’ pleaded Anjali, ‘Please make the reservations for us Chotey. I wish you could come as well.’

That night, Khushi was getting ready for the dinner. She really did not want to go to this dinner with Anjali and Shyam. She was worried about the way he had shamelessly insisted that she should go along. She wished for a moment that Arnav could come along. At least with him around Shyam would keep away from her. Was that the only reason? Who was she kidding? But it seemed her strategy to keep him away was working very well. But after sensing his uneasiness last night, she was wondering if she could keep up with the drama.

She was running late as Anjali had made her go back and change. She had wanted her to wear one of the new sarees that she had bought soon after the wedding. It was a wine coloured georgette, with stone, bead and glass sequins on the border and a frilly lace in steel grey attached to it made it look unique. The blouse, also in steel grey had the same work as the border of the saree. It had a square neck in the front and the back had a deep square cut with a narrow strip of material put together with a jewelled clasp. Khushi remembered that day almost a month ago when she stood in front of the mirror outside the trial room and had seen Arnav’s eyes staring back at her.

She was so lost in thought about Arnav that when she saw his refection in the mirror she thought it was her imagination!

Dark Night Dawning Chapter 2

There was loud knocking on the bathroom door. ‘Khushiji?’It was Shyam!

Shyam had wanted to talk to Khushi after the incident in the kitchen. Why did she always react like that whenever he went near her? He would have to explain to her that there was nothing to fear. He had looked around to see no one around and entered the bedroom. She didn’t seem to be there. Then, he heard an odd yelp coming from the bathroom. It had sounded like Khushi. He would have to find out. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

‘Khushiji?’

Arnav fisted his palms in anger and made a move toward the door. Khushi caught his arm with her free hand. He looked up at her to see her shaking her head vehemently, telling him not to go. Arnav shook off her hand and yanked open the door.

Shyam took an involuntary step back like someone had punched him in the face. What was he doing here? He was so sure he had heard Khushi. What were they doing together? His face began to twitch.

As Arnav stepped out of the bathroom he saw Shyam looking like he had seen a ghost, with one side of his face twitching badly. Arnav looked at Shyam, his eyes smouldering, his body afire with barely controlled temper. Before he could say anything, he heard another voice.

‘What are you doing here?’ Anjali had rushed into the room and was addressing Shyam, ‘Hariprakash told me that Khushiji had been calling out for me some time back. Apparently, he forgot about it when he came down. I came as soon as I found out ’.

‘Y….yes….Rani Sahiba.I…..I too heard Khushiji calling out for you’ he stammered, ‘I thought I should check it out first.’

Arnav’s anger rose up a couple of notches at his lie. He was nowhere near the room when Khushi had been calling out. His innocent Di standing a few paces behind him couldn’t see his ugly lying face, which was just as well, in her condition.

‘Relax, Di,’ said Arnav concerned for her, ‘Please don’t strain yourself for all this. Everything is under control.’

‘What are you doing here, Chotey?’ Anjali repeated looking at Arnav now, ‘Aren’t you supposed to be at work?’

‘Well, I was,’ Arnav explained how he had heard Khushi calling out just as he had come into the room to pick up an important file for which he had come back all the way from work. When he found out she had no water in the shower, he had first checked the valve outside to see it was fine. He had then realized that it might be a blockage in the shower head and had to step in as Khushi was new to all this.

‘Hmm…..’ said Anjali , ‘But I didn’t know that it takes 15 minutes to clean the shower head these days’ she added tongue in cheek.

‘What?’ he asked her with a ‘You got me’ expression on his face, ‘Isn’t a husband allowed to help his wife without being spied upon by his family members?’

‘Not at all, Chotey!’ she exclaimed,‘You are free to help your wife anywhere and anytime you want. And I am sure your jeejaji agrees with me on this one’ she added gleefully.

‘I am sure he does Di,’ Arnav turned around to stare at Shyam, his tone flippant as he said, ‘Just like him, I take my duties as a husband very seriously. And it is my duty to make sure my wife has no problems in her life.’

When Khushi stepped out in her red suit, it was difficult to decipher which was redder -----her suit or her face. She saw all pairs of eyes turned toward her and got even more flustered and began to adjust her dupatta unnecessarily.

‘Come, on,’ Anjali said pulling on Shyam’s arm, ‘I think it is time we leave the love birds alone.’

**

When Anjali and Shyam left, Khushi went to the dressing table. She couldn’t face Arnav just yet. As she sat on the stool, applying kajal to her eyes, she saw Arnav walk up to the wardrobe. As he stood in front of it contemplating what to wear, he took off his shirt. Khushi’s hand froze half way up to her eyes. His masculinity never ceased to fascinate her. As he began to rub his wet hair with a towel, she watched the play of muscles in his back, biceps and forearms. His body seemed wound up and tensed and she felt a fluttering response in her own body. She realized that she was beginning to understand every nuance of his body language now. She wanted to go up to him and wrap herself to his back until he calmed down. Where had that thought come from? She was so lost in him that she failed to see that he had turned around, to catch her staring. He began to walk toward her, holding her gaze, until he stood right behind her. He bent down and took her hair in hands. They were dripping wet. He pulled off the towel from his shoulder and wrapped her hair in it.

‘Wipe your hair Khushi,’ he said softly, ‘You might catch a cold.’  He walked back to the wardrobe leaving Khushi a little more flustered if that was possible.

**

Shyam started pacing about in the room like a caged tiger, his face was twitching badly. What had happened in the bathroom? When Anjali had questioned Arnav he had replied ambiguously and when Khushiji had come out had she looked flustered. They were both behaving strangely since they came back from Nainital. Was there something going on between them? Hadn’t he told Arnav that no one could come between him and Khushiji? He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t see that Arnav had entered the room.

‘Arnav!’ said Shyam startled, ‘What do you want?’

‘I thought I should let you know that it is bad manners to go into people’s bedrooms without their permission,’ said Arnav in a quiet but menacing voice.

‘I ….I told you ….. I came in because I heard _____’ he began.

‘And you and I both know, that is a big lie,’ Arnav cut him off firmly,‘So let’s do away with all the lame excuses. I think I told you once before and I will not repeat this again. I don’t ever want to see you anywhere near Khushi again.’

‘You can threaten me all you like Arnav, but how are you going to stop Khushiji?’ he asked his lips twisted in derision.

‘Oh you don’t have to worry about that anymore jeejaji,’ said Arnav and walked away marking the end of the conversation.

Shyam was flummoxed. What had he meant by that last comment? He would have to watch them a little more closely.

**

Khushi sat in her room thinking about the incident in the bathroom. When Shyam had knocked on the bathroom door, at first she had been embarrassed but then when she heard Arnav’s explanation she was glad. She knew Arnav was putting up a show for his sister but if it meant it would keep Shyam away from her, she was all game. But it was not Shyam she was really worried about.  It was Arnav.

Since that last night in Nainital, his behaviour toward her had changed. Did he think that he could just come up to her and kiss her anywhere and anytime he liked? Suddenly it hit her. Of course he did. He probably wanted to exercise physical rights over her as he had told her in Nainital! It was not a big deal for him. He did not believe in love or marriage. But that did not mean he did not believe in physical intimacy. After all, he had wanted to live-in with Lavanya. She knew that many people did not think that it was necessary to be in love to be physically intimate. But she was not one of them, and he couldn’t force her in this matter!

Force? Who was she kidding? He had never forced her at all, not when they were stuck in that mountainside hut, nor on that last night in Nainital. Even this morning in the bathroom, she remembered how her treacherous body had responded to him shamelessly. Hey Devi Maiyya! She could never let that happen again. She would have to avoid him at all cost.

**

That night, as Arnav prepared for bed he thought it was strange that he hadn’t seen Khushi since he got back from work. He switched off the bedside lamp and went to sleep.  When Khushi entered the bedroom some time later, Arnav was fast asleep. Khushi went up to him and looked at his face. His hair was tousled and had covered his forehead making him look boyish. He looked so calm and innocent in his sleep. His beautiful molten brown eyes that often reflecting pain, anger, determination, jealousy and most recently ---- desire, were closed. She realized he had beautiful eyebrows for a man, eyelashes a woman would die for, an arrogant nose that flared up when he was angry, perfectly chiselled cheeks speckled with stubble that had scratched her soft skin, lips expressing so many different emotions, a thin line when irritated, twisting into a smirk when arrogant, a slight pout when he said Unbelievable!,and sensuous just before they met hers.  Sensuous. She felt an odd pain in the region of her heart, like someone was squeezing it. She would have to get out of here as soon as possible. But first, there was no doubt that she would have to keep out of his way.

**

The next morning Arnav came out of the shower in his trousers. Khushi busied herself in making her bed with extra vigour, lest she be tempted to go up to him and run her fingers through his hair that always covered his forehead after a shower. She jumped when her cell phone rang suddenly. It was Shuklaji. When Arnav heard her talking on the phone, about her dabba business, he swore silently. The business as such was not a problem. But it was the operations part of it that bothered him. He didn’t want Khushi going around taking orders herself. He didn’t like the puppy dog looks his male employees gave her. He would have to do something about it.

‘I don’t think you should be coming to work for the dabba business anymore Khushi’ he said buttoning up his shirt.

‘Why not?’ she asked him, her voice low.

‘Uh…’ he was suddenly not sure what to tell her, ‘Because I don’t like you mingling with the office staff so casually. It’s not good for my image’ he decided to be honest.

‘You can’t tell me what to do,’ said Khushi anger rising in her.

‘I just did,’ he said, I don’t want to see you at office anymore and that’s final.’

She acquiesced silently, tears welling up in her eyes.

Why did she have to be so difficult he thought uneasily. Whatever it was, he will be able to work in peace, at least in the office without the sound of payals or kangans driving him crazy.

**

Arnav came back from work that evening and immediately got into a conference call. While on the call he saw Khushi in his Nani’s room with a bunch of kids. On his inquiry his Nani had informed him that Khushi had decided to continue giving tuition to kids from her old tuition class in the evenings, now that she had begun to take the dabba orders from home and had more free time. He felt colour creep up his neck when he remembered that morning’s conversation.

A little later, when Arnav came down for dinner, there was no one at the table as it was past everyone’s dinner time. When he heard the khan-khan of bangles his heart skipped a beat as he turned around. It was his Di.

‘Do you need anything Chotey?’ she asked in her usual affectionate tone.

‘No Di. I am fine. Please go and get some rest.’ he told her.

‘No way. I want to spend some time with my brother, if he doesn’t mind it too much.’ she teased him.

**

When he finished his dinner and went up to the bedroom, there was still no sign of her. Where was she? But why was that bothering him so much? He was used to being alone his entire life. Had he begun to miss her? No way! Arnav Singh Raizada did not need anyone in his life. He changed and went up to the bed and lay down on it. But sleep eluded him. In about 10 minutes he heard Khushi enter the bedroom. She seemed to be trying her best not to make any noise as she went into the rest room to change into her night suit. A few minutes later he felt some movement on the bed and he opened his eyelids a fraction to see that she had arranged a wall of pillows at the centre of the bed like they had done in Nainital. He smiled to himself in the dark as she switched off the bedside lamp and went to sleep. He opened his eyes and looked at her face illuminated by light filtering into the room through a gap in the curtains. Her mischievous almond shaped eyes were closed, her long and thick eye lashes fanned her rosy cheeks, her nose ring shone on her nose. If anyone had told him a year ago that he would even look at a woman with a nose ring, he would have laughed. But now, it was impossible to imagine her without one. It was so sexy. But it was only second best to her lips. Lips that stretched to their full limit when she acquiesced, had a mischievous twist when she was up to something, the way they stretched over her teeth when she was angry, but he liked them best when they were slightly open, showing a bit of her pearly white teeth and quivering in anticipation of his kiss. Just the way they were right now. He was so tempted to give in to his desire and touch them with his own. But he knew it was not time for that…..yet. He kept looking at her until his eyelids drooped and sleep finally claimed him.

**

The next day, as Khushi sat in Anjali’s room giving her an oil massage, she found an old picture by the bedside table. It was of a girl and a boy and she asked Anjali about it.

‘It was taken on Arnav’s 7^th birthday,’ she said affectionately, ‘As you can see, he doesn’t look very happy in that picture. I had gone up to him and kissed him on his cheek to wish him. He hates displays of affection.’

Khushi listened quietly as Anjali reminisced about their past.

‘It is not that Chotey doesn’t know how to love. It’s just that he doesn’t know how to express it.’

Khushi looked up at Anjali wondering if she was trying to tell her something when Anjali said, Khushiji, I know you love working and all that, but if you keep yourself so busy how will you manage to give him attention? Yesterday night during dinner, he looked very lonely and then again this morning at breakfast,’ she said a little sadly.

Khushi gave her an assuring smile and scurried out of the room in embarrassment.

Everything had its consequences. How could she tell Di why she was avoiding him? Hey Devi Maiyya! She would have to figure out how to give him attention and avoid him at the same time! Suddenly, she remembered something else Di has said. Her lips twisted in that mischievous smile. You are a genius Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada! she told herself……

Dark Night Dawning Chapter 1

I have decided that our marriage will no longer be temporary. I will be responsible for you and will provide you with all the comforts for the rest of your life. I will have every right over you. And remember that you belong only to me.

The words came back to haunt Arnav, as he sat in his cabin. He had come in to work immediately after returning from Nainital.

His thoughts went back to the wee hours of the morning when he had woken up, his face snuggled up in Khushi’s neck, his arms around her waist, hers on his chest. He had gotten off the bed making sure not to disturb her. She looked so innocent and trusting in her sleep. He had dressed quickly and ordered for some coffee. He needed to think. How could he let this happen, when there were so many unanswered questions between them?

Somewhere in the corner of his mind he had seen it coming, known it was inevitable.Each and every moment, from the time they had taken that walk on Thandi Sadak, the unforgettable bike ride to Binsar, to their first kiss on sun set point, to the night they spent at the remote hut on the unknown mountainside had been etched in his memory forever. When he had seen her walking toward him in the beautiful red gown looking sensuous, the only word that came to his mind was-----Mine! When he had seen her talking to another man, he had dragged her off to the dance floor to prove to the world that she was his for the taking.

When she had bared her heart out to him during her emotional tirade at the gazebo, the feelings that were reflected in her eyes had been genuine. And it was not just since Nainital. It was even before that.  All these emotions that were boiling inside had erupted the moment she had taken him in her arms after her nightmare. He wanted to remove all traces of the fear that he had seen in her face moments before they turned into exalted relief. After that, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from loving her.

Could he have been mistaken in judging her?

This was something he needed to figure out. In the meantime, he had come to a decision. He could never let her go. He tried to remember that exact moment when he had made this decision and failed. He wanted her. Forever. He would ensure she would never want to leave him.

                                                                                                  **

Later that night, Khushi lay on the bed thinking. Arnav was still at work. He had dropped them and had gone back to the office. Khushi was thankful for that. She couldn’t face him just yet after what had happened between them last night. Was it only last night? The time between then and now seemed like eons to her agitated mind. What had come over her? She knew the answer.She loved him. Had been in love with him for a while now.Had known it when she had let him almost kiss her on Diwali night.Only then, she hadn’t realized it. She had thought she had acidity. She was an idiot! He was right in telling her that she didn’t have a brain. In fact she was so brainless that she had gone ahead and blurted out her feeling to him at the gazebo. What was she thinking? It must be the altitude in Nainital. It must have muddled her brain. Khushi angrily dabbed at her way ward tears that insisted on flowing down her cheeks. Why waste tears on someone who would never love her back?

And now, he wanted to continue this farce of a marriage for ever. What had made him say that? She just didn’t have answers to anything, thanks to his cryptic ways of talking. He had first told her that it would be a six month marriage. He had even told her that it would be difficult to tolerate her during that time, that he hated her and then suddenly after last night he had changed his decision. Could it be that he had an attack of conscience after what had happened between them? Well, if that was the case, he could tell his conscience to take a hike! She didn’t need his pity. I will have every right over you. How could he talk like that? If he thought she would fall in line with everything he said, he had it coming. A permanent marriage with him? Impossible!She would ensure that he would let her go even before six months, if she could help it!

**

Much later, Arnav walked into the bedroom. He was dead tired,as he had to attend back to back meetings to catch up with pending work. He quickly changed into his pyjamas and went up to the bed and lied down on it.

‘What do you think you are doing?’ Khushi shot upright from the bed.

‘Can’t you see I am trying to sleep?’ answered Arnav yawning.

‘I can see that!’ said Khushi raising her voice in alarm, ‘Why aren’t you on the recliner?’

‘Why should I be on the recliner when I have a nice and comfortable bed here?’ he said covering himself with his comforter.

‘Because……because that is where you used to sleep……..before’ she tried reminding him.

‘Well…..I won’t be doing that anymore’ he said flatly.

‘But…..but…. we can’t _____!’ panicked Khushi.

‘You are right,’ he said simply,‘Maybe you should be the one to sleep on the recliner’

‘Me?’

‘Yes you,’ he drawled, ‘I am not the one who has a problem with self-control.’

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ asked Khushi angrily.

‘As far as I remember, you were the one who made the first move last night,’ he quipped.

‘How can you say that?’ she was indignant, ‘I had a night mare and I was scared.’

‘If you say so’ he mocked.

‘Don’t flatter yourself so much,’ said Khushi ‘If I wasn’t so scared, last night would never have happened.’

‘Whatever!’ he mumbled.

‘Even if it ever were to happen again, it would be only if you forced me like you did on the day of our weddingMr Arnav Singh Raizada!’ she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Aranav sat up on the bed, grabbed Khushi by the shoulders and brought her close to his face. He molten brown eyes looked down at her lips that had begun to quiver and then back up to bore into her luminous eyes.

‘Don’t dare me KhushiKumari Gupta Singh Raizada!’ he whispered,‘If I wanted you, I wouldn’t have to use force. After last night, I think you know this very well.’

He let go of her shoulders, turned around, switched off the bed side lamp and went back to sleep.

Khushi sat very still on the bed, her face red with anger and embarrassment. How dare he!

**

                                                                                                               

The next morning when Arnav came down for breakfast, he heard excited chatter going on at the breakfast table. When he got close to the table, he realized that Khushi and Payal had distributed gifts that they bought in Nainital. There were shawls, chocolates, key chains, medicinal oils on the table that everyone could pick and choose from.

‘Oh! I love this one’ said mamiji picking up the most beautiful shawl from the pile.

‘That’s mine!’ shouted Khushi from across the table,

All eyes turned toward her in surprize. When Arnav looked at the shawl in question he realized it was the one that he had bought for her in Nainital. The one he never gave her.

‘I am sorry mamiji,’ said Khushi apologetically, ‘I think it got mixed up with the others.’

‘It’s beautiful!’ exclaimed Anjali, ‘So you kept the best one for yourself ha?’

‘No Di, I ___’

‘I was just kidding, Khushiji,’ said Anjali gleefully, ‘Looks like it might be a special gift’

Khushi darted a surreptitious glance at Arnav to see him staring right back at her with those intense brown eyes. But he said nothing. If he wanted to pretend like he didn’t know anything about it, then she would play along thought Khushi silently.

‘Looks like there is something inside,’ said maamiji, revealing an album from the folds of the shawl. She opened the album and exclaimed ‘It’s Arnav bitwa!’

Khushi froze. Hey Devi Maiyya! The Laad Governor was surely going to be angry now. She avoided looking at him, as everyone tried to take a look at the album at once.

‘Aren’t these your college friends, Chotey?’ asked Anajali, ‘This is Karan isn’t it?’

‘Yes Di,’ said Arnav, ‘He was staying at the same hotel as us. Khushi got these photos from him during dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. He was giving her company while I was busy at work,’ he added sardonically.

Khushi couldn’t believe that he was doing this. How could he say this in front of the entire family?

‘I ___’ she began in defence.

‘Thanks Khushiji!’ Anjali came up to Khushi and hugged her tight, ‘These photos are invaluable to me. Chotey never liked to be photographed. Can I keep these to make copies?’

‘You can keep them Di,’ said Khushi smiling, ‘I have another copy of these.’

‘If all this drama is over, will someone serve some breakfast here?’ asked Arnav looking at his watch,  ‘I am already quite late for work.’

As the breakfast was being served, there was one pair of intense eyes that were leering at Khushi. Arnav wished he could punch those eyes repeatedly. He turned to look at Khushi who was talking to Anjali and laughing at something she said. She had made his Di happy today with her silly photo album. He would have to look out for Khushi.

**

Shyam sat in the bedroom thinking. When he had returned from his trip a couple of days ago, he was informed that Khushi and Arnav were on their honeymoon. He had been livid. He had paced the bedroom like a caged tiger. Later, when Anjali had explained to him that the trip also included business he had relaxed. Of course! His Khushiji would never have gone on this trip if she hadn’t been forced to, he had told himself. He needed to talk to Khushiji about this.

**

Later that day, Khushi worked in the kitchen preparing food for the dabba service. The food was almost ready. She just needed a little flour to finish a few more pooris. She had reached up on her tip toes to get the box of flour from a top shelf, when suddenly another hand covered hers. When she saw Shyam standing right next to her, she dropped the box on his head, spilling its contents over her. Anjali and Payal came running when they heard the commotion.

‘What happened here?’ asked Anjali looking at Khushi’s dishevelled state.

Shyam jumped in to reply before Khushi, ‘I came here to get some water and saw Khushiji trying to get the box from the shelf. The box slipped from her hand and the flour spilled all over her,’ he explained.

‘Khushi, go and clean up,’ said Payal, ‘I’ll finish up here.’

**

Khushi went up to the room shaking with indignation. Shyam was getting creepier and creepier by the day. Sometimes she wished she could strangle him with her bare hands. If it wasn’t for Di, she might have already done it. He disgusted her. She decided to shower as the flour had completely messed up her hair, and moreover the shower would help in calming her agitation. Half way through her bath, after she had soaped herself, she realized that the shower had stopped. Hey Devi Maiyaa! What was she going on do?

‘Jiji! Di! Can anyone hear me?’ she yelled at the top of her voice. She had trouble opening her eyes as the soap had seeped into them, causing it to burn. After a few minutes, she thought about shouting out again when she heard a noise in the bedroom. There was someone in the room!

‘Jiji? Is that you?’ she asked hesitantly, ‘There is no water in the shower. Could you please check the valve at the poolside?’

She heard footsteps and after a few seconds there was a knock on the bathroom door.

‘Jiji, did you check the valve?’ she asked, ‘There is still no water here’.

She heard knocking again. Why wasn’t jiji answering her? She wrapped herself in a towel and decided to unlatch the door anyway.

She heard some noise near the shower. ‘Jiji? Is that you? Can you please give me some water to clean my eyes? They are burning.’

Suddenly cold water from the shower splashed on her face. ‘What the _____?’ Khushi shrieked. She opened her eyes to find Arnav standing in front of her, looking at her getting completely drenched in her short towel!

She took a step backward in shock as she recognized the look in his molten brown eyes. The next moment she began to fall, as her foot slipped on the soapy floor. He caught her just in time, one arm around her waist and the other around her upper back. She stumbled some more until she grabbed his shoulder with one hand, the other hand braced on his chest. The movement had brought him under the spray of shower and he began to drench along with her. As they looked at each other for countless seconds, her dhak-dhakbegan to intensify. She closed her eyes as a trembling ache started deep within her.

Arnav watched as drops of water streamed down her face, to her neck and disappeared into the valley between her breasts wrapped in the towel. She looked like a water nymph. He bent down his head and brought his lips to an inch away from hers. She felt his warm breath on her lips. When he hadn’t touched he lips even after a few seconds, she opened her eyes to see his eyes boring into hers and in that exact moment his tongue darted out to lick the droplets of water collected on her lips. She gasped, opening her lips wide enough for him to thrust his tongue in to explore the warm darkness of her mouth. She clutched at him, her nails digging into his shoulders, as a long quiver went through her body. As the kiss went on and on, he pushed her back up against the wall, his hand at her waist pulling her into his body so that she could feel his hardness right through the thin material of her towel. Her hand had crept up from his shoulders to tangle in the thick hair at the back of his head. His free hand moved to the back of her neck, sliding down to trace the edge of the towel. His touch was a sensuous agony. She felt a little moan rising in her throat, her senses clamouring for fulfilment.

He said her name against her lips, then the knot on her towel was twisted free and she clutched at the towel as it began to slip. She wasn’t sure when she first became aware of the voices.At first they seemed to be in their own world, then suddenly Arnav lifted his heard sharply, saying, ‘What the ____?’

Someone knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Khushiji?’It was Shyam!