Chapter Thirty One

J and me tried to complete this as its only fair we try and bring a closure here ... also feed that part of the whole of us that still crave for Arnav and Khushi ... from the Hindi dialogues you can see that we are now writing this together ... my hindi-dialogue-queen (read: soul mate) chipped in for moral support, borderline pushy, and of course also writing when I threw my hands up ... so... here's what happens next ...

***

After waiting for her to speak up until they were on their way in their car and almost nearing home, Arnav finally felt his patience slipping. ‘What was that about?’ he asked quietly.

‘What kya?’ retorted Khushi, looking straight ahead, not seeing Arnav's hands clenching on the steering wheel at her tone.

‘I thought you wanted to spend time with Aman?’ he asked patiently.

‘Vahi toh kar rahe they hum abhi … do ghante se’.

Arnav felt his temper rising at her callous tone.

‘Tum toh late aane wali thee na … vapas ghar? Didn't you want to want to be with him longer?’ Arnav ground out through clenched teeth. ‘Ya, uske saath akele time bitana chahti thee,’ he added nastily. ‘You should have just asked me to leave in that case.’

‘And would you have?’ asked Khushi turning around to face him angrily. ‘Aap humpe nazar bhi toh rakhna chaahte honge naa?’

Screeching the car to a halt, Arnav turned towards her, ‘Just what is that supposed to mean, Khushi?’ he said in a cold steely voice.

Itching for a fight by now and missing his cold fury completely, Khushi retorted hotly, ‘Oh I don't know, Mr Raizada. This sudden affection you have for Aman is so endearing. How come you didn't go up to his room to hang out with him and send me home? Or did you want to spend time with him only when I was going to?’

His eyes turning cold, Arnav started at Khushi intently. ‘If you have a problem spending time with me, just say it, Khushi! Don't talk in riddles! You seem happy enough hanging out with every guy except me! All warm and gushing and excited ... except when it's me, you have to go quiet and unhappy! I didn't realize that you were so miserable in my company or I wouldn't have…’

‘Kya?’ Khushi all but screamed, ‘Kya karte aap? Aap chahte hain hum app ke saath khush rahen, jab hum jaante hain ke aap, humari jasoosi karne ke liye humare saath…’

"What?" Arnav almost shouted "You think I came along to keep an eye on you? Ye sab bolne ke pehle tum sochti bih ho, Khushi? What is...’

 ‘Hum … hum hamesha soch ke hi bolte hain Mr Raizada.’ Khushi interrupted him. ‘Aaj aapne yeh saabit karne ki koshish ki hain ki hum … hum … Harry aur Aman ke saath … ke saath…’ her voice broke slightly as she almost whispered the last line, and looked away, turning to look out of the window, not wanting him to see the tears spill over.

Arnav swallowed, trying to keep his emotions in check. He stared at the side of her head trying to think. She thinks I don't trust her? She thinks I want to spend time with her to keep an eye on her? I told her I love her, and she thinks...

Closing his eyes briefly, he started the car and sped towards the house, uncaring about what the speed was doing to her. Just as he braked in front of the door, Khushi rushed out and almost ran into the house. Arnav leaned his head back and closed his eyes, still gripping the wheel, wondering what on earth he had done wrong.

‘Bloody hell’, he swore, striding out of the car and towards the front door purposefully.

It was time to set the record straight.

***

The door to their room stood open and a small frown marred Arnav’s forehead as he stepped into the pitch-dark room, colliding instantly into Khushi’s immobile form just inside the door.

‘Khushi?’ he asked softly, feeling her rigid back against him. Her immediately turning towards him had him unprepared, as he reeled backwards, with the force of it. Surprised, he felt her clutch at his forearms clinging to him violently. Why was the room dark, he wondered, as he tried to steady both of them?

Dark? ... oh yes … she was afraid of the dark, he remembered, looking down towards where she was still frozen and hanging on to him desperately.

‘Khushi,’ he tried to pry her away from him gently, ‘the fuse must have blown when you turned on the lights … I’ll need to go check…’

He felt her hold him tighter and shake her head indicating that she was not letting him do any such thing.

“Khushi’, he said softly, cajoling her out of her anxiety. Reaching down he held her chin gently, lifting her face to look into his in the blue moonlight streaming into their room from the poolside.

Looking deep into her panic filled eyes, he wondered how her beauty always hit him like a fist in the chest.

The urge to kiss her grew and he started toward her, hungry for another taste of her warmth. He gently traced a finger over her bottom lip and watched her shut her eyes with a soft moan.

He lowered his head slowly, not giving her a chance to protest. His mouth was warm and firm; the press of his lips a blend of hunger and tenderness.

Khushi felt his mouth come down on hers, felt her own lips part to accept him, felt him slide inside her, felt the urge to melt against him, to hold him close.

She wanted him. In ways she had never wanted anyone before. The unfamiliar thought terrified her, and breaking away from his kiss she whispered miserably, ‘Stop it. This is not love … this is just your ... your … our…’ her voice trailed of for want of a word to explain ‘libido’.

Arnav shut his eyes for a few brief seconds before turning her averted face towards him again. ‘Khushi’, he said softly, almost caressingly, ‘I know this started out as a pretense, a lie … but let me at lest prove to you that its turning into a real case of reality now," Bending close enough to touch her ear lobe with the tip of his tongue, his warm breath tickled her neck, and then his lips were pressed there, making her gasp at the sensation.

He pulled her closer and she naturally melted against him, sighing with the pleasure, unable to resist the way her body responded to his.

"If you knew how much of my day is spent dreaming about making love to you," he continued to whisper against her cheek, "I’d probably be bankrupt in the next few months."

His eyes glowing in the dim light, he continued in a passionate whisper. " I know you're not indifferent to me. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to admit to those feelings too."

"Arna…" she tried again, but it came out as a whimper as his mouth took hers once again and his hands slid down her curves, exploring, turning her into a mass of trembling urgency.

He held her close, trying to show her how much he loved her by his embrace, his gentle caresses. He did not want to speak anymore, did not want to explain anything. He only wanted to make love to his delicious wife, who it seemed was convinced that this was not love, just some passion that he had no control over.