He’s Amazing ~ Part 12 {Reloaded}

X9HmSPF

They reached room number 45 and Arnav unlocked the door. He gestured Khushi inside and then locked the door behind him. This action reminded Khushi of their first date when she had been worried that he would try to make a move on her. And now, months later, here they were again, locked in a hotel room, but this time he was her boyfriend and she loved him to such an extent that it felt almost seemed unreal.

Before Khushi could even take the room in, Arnav pushed her up against the door and pressed his lips onto hers in a hungry kiss. Khushi had thought the last one had been heated and hungry, but this proved her completely wrong. Placing his hands on her hips, Arnav kissed her as though there was no tomorrow. Khushi couldn’t help but kissed him back with the same level of hunger and passion. His hands moved from her hips to her neck. He rubbed circles on her neck with his thumbs and made her moan out. His hands continued their torture and then moved back down her body. His hands reached the sides of her breasts and he stopped as he thought Khushi would pull away like she did every other time, but she didn’t. He hesitated for a moment before he let his hands travel over and cupped her breasts. She gasped; this was new. No man had touched her like this. Was she to be shocked? She didn’t know, all she knew was that it felt good and began imagining how it would feel if she didn’t have clothes on. The kiss broke and Arnav looked at her, his hands still cupping her breasts.

“I want us to go further Khushi. Heck I need it. But if you don’t want to then it’s fine, I understand.”

“I…”

“It’s no pressure at all. If you want, we can. If you don’t then I am willing to wait as long as it takes.”

Khushi looked at his hands on her, and then thought to herself. Was this what she wanted? Was she ready for this? She watched as he slowly began taking his hands off her and it was in that moment that she realised she didn’t want him to let go, that she wasn’t ready for this to end yet. She wanted more. Blushing, she nodded.

“This is what I want.”

Arnav smiled. He pulled Khushi into another kiss. His hands moved off her breasts and travelled to her back. He pulled the dori of her dress off slowly and began pushing the dress off her shoulders. He kissed her neck and shoulders, biting her lightly and then licking it, soothing the pain. Arnav pulled away and looked at Khushi, she whimpered slightly, she hated being away from him. He looked at her and then began pulling her dress off her. It fell to the ground and Arnav’s eyes feasted on her body. She looked amazing. He moved slightly closer and pulled that the stings on her shelwar. It too fell to the ground and Khushi hesitantly, stepped out of it. Arnav looked at her. She looked so beautiful standing there in her blue underwear. Arnav moved around her, and she couldn’t help but feel slightly self conscious. Was he checking her out all round? Making sure she was good? But he wasn’t. He went round and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. His lips found her neck and his hands travelled along her body. Lightly, he touched her stomach, and Khushi felt tingles run through her body under his light touch. His hands teased her by dropping down to the waistband of her pants and she held her breath thinking he was going to go lower, but he didn’t. He brought his hands up again and cupped her breasts. Khushi arched back into him at the feel of his hands, and let out a breathy sigh as his fingers passed over her nipples. His hands lowered again and Khushi held her breath as she felt him nearing the waistband of her pants. She felt him pause as he played with her waistband. She let herself relax a little because it seemed he wouldn’t do what she was thinking he was going to do and then he did it. Khushi’s breath caught as she felt his fingers slide under the waistband and rest on her. He paused.

“I can stop if you want.”

“Don’t stop.”

He lowered his lips back to her neck as he stroked her sensitive skin gently. She let out a breathy sigh as she felt his fingers caressing her skin and the gasped at the feel of his finger slowly entered her body. Khushi bit down on her lip as she felt him move his fingers lightly, exploring the inside of her body. She felt him apply varying pressures on his fingers and sometimes he moved more quickly, other times more slowly. Khushi felt the pressure growing between her hips and she leaned back into him, begging that she be able to stay up on her own without collapsing in on him.

Arnav could feel her body tightening like a coil and withdrew his fingers. He turned her around and looked into her eyes.

“If you’re not ready for this, or don’t want this, if you don’t want to go any further, it’s fine with me Khushi, I promise you, I’ll wait for you. I don’t want to force you into this.”

“You’re not. This is what I want.”

Hearing this Arnav lifted Khushi off the floor and placed her down onto the bed. Putting her down, he walked into the bathroom. Khushi lay there, waiting for him to come out, struggling to understand why he went in there in the first place. Moments later, he came back out with a box in his hand. Khushi’s eyes focused on it and she blushed as she realised what they were. Condoms. Putting the box down on the bedside table he flashed her a cheeky grin.

“Thank god these fancy hotels always have condoms in the bathroom. We’d have had to halted our plans if they didn’t.”

She smiled as she sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. She watched as he slowly removed his jacket and shirt. He kept his eyes on her as he undressed himself, not wanting to miss her reaction towards his body. He watched as she bit her lip as he threw his shirt aside. He watched as her eyes widened and as she shamelessly took in his naked torso.

Khushi took in his washboard abs and his broad shoulders. She bit her lip lightly as she took in the hair on his chest, and found herself following the line of hair down to his waistband. She noticed the faint V lines that went down into his pants. She watched as he slowly unbuttoned his trousers and pulled down the fly. She bit her lip once more as his trousers fell to the ground and he stepped out of them.

He made his way back towards her, and got onto the bed. He crawled towards her and then moved over her. Khushi clutched the sheets as he neared her, closing the distance between them, her eyes locked on his. He came over her, pushing her back into the bed, his lips on her exposed neck, while his hands fondled with her breasts. Khushi moaned at the feel of his hands on her and hooked her leg around his waist in an attempt to dull the ache that was growing inside her. His lips moved down from her neck to her still covered breasts then pulled back. Lifting her slightly, he reached around and undid her bra and threw it aside. Moving his eyes away from hers, he looked down at her chest and couldn’t help but let out a moan. The sight in front of him was to die for. She had the most perfect pair of breasts he had ever seen, almost as though they had been curated for him. He lightly fingered her nipples and felt as they hardened further under his touch. Fixing his eyes on her once more, he slowly lowered his mouth to on of her nipples and took it between his lips, sucking on it lightly. He continued to work his magic with his hands on the other breast, trying to give it the equal amount of attention. Pulling back, he lowered his mouth to the other breast and did the same. Khushi arched back into the bed, enjoying the pleasure that this man was giving her. She could faintly feel his manliness between her legs and she was almost certain that it was growing harder the longer they were together.

Arnav pushed himself off the bed and and pulled his boxers off. And finally Khushi saw it. She could feel her eyes widen as she took him in but she couldn’t help it, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He was huge!

Closing the distance between them, he wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her. He rested his length against her, letting her get accustomed to his weight on her. He rubbed his length against her but then realised that there was still a barrier between them. Pulling her panties away, he looked at her. She was a true woman.

“Khushi, I can’t hold myself back any longer. I ache to be within you.”

“I want you, within me… But, I don’t think you’ll fit…”

“Babes, I will fit. We’re made for each other, it’ll definitely fit. It’ll hurt a bit, but I promise, that’s only for this time.”

Khushi nodded her head as she braced herself. Arnav picked up the box that he had put beside him and took out a little packet. Opening it, he took out the content of it, and pulled it over his throbbing length.

He lowered himself once more and Khushi gasped at the feeling of him closing in on her. She placed her hands on his shoulders and entered her. He held himself still and locked his eyes onto hers.

“Baby, it’s going to hurt, but I promise the pleasure you will get will be beyond that pain.”

Again Khushi nodded, she was ready for whatever was coming next.

*****

“Ah- Arnav! Stop!”

“Come with me Khushi, it’s ok. Don’t worry baby, you’re ok. Trust me.”

*****

Arnav collapsed against Khushi and breathed heavily. Getting his energy back, he lifted himself onto his elbow and looked at her, smiling.

“That was amazing.”

Khushi blushed as she pulled the sheets up to her chest and settled down beside him.

“Like you.”

*****

A few hours later, though Khushi was aching from the first time, she had reached over to Arnav, wanting to go again. Arnav had happily complied and now they were both nearing their climax once more.

“I can’t hold on… Arnav… It’s too much!”

“Hang in there babes…”

With one last thrust, Khushi spun off the edge and Arnav released. He pulled the cover over them once more and slumber took over…

*****

Khushi awoke the next morning. Her body was aching but she was feeling content. She rolled onto her side and looked at Arnav. Khushi smiled as she recalled the events of the night before.

His kisses.

Her kisses.

His touches.

Her touches.

His thrusts.

Her moans.

His groans.

Her orgasms.

His climax.

Their love.

Khushi nuzzled herself into Arnav’s arms, smiling. They’d made love one more time after their second time. Khushi had known it was a bad idea because she knew her body wasn’t accustomed to him yet, but she couldn’t get enough of him. Even after doing it for a third time, Khushi wasn’t entirely satisfied and wanted to go again but she knew she wasn’t ready for it. He had been much more gentle with her the third time, knowing she’d be sore.

Turning, she looked at the clock, it was nearly 9:30.

Gasping, she jumped out of bed, grabbed her clothes off the floor and went into the bathroom.

Arnav woke up a little while later and reached out to Khushi’s side of the bed but found that it was cold. Sitting up, he looked around the room and then heard the water running in the bathroom and smiled. She hadn’t left while he was sleeping. Turning, he looked at the bedside table and noticed condom wrappers scattered across the top. There was a musky smell lingering in the room and lay back down again, smiling at the thoughts of the night before.

“Damn, she knows how to turn you on Arnav Singh Raizada!”

“And, you know how to turn me on.”

Arnav looked up to see Khushi coming out of the bathroom, fully dressed, drying her hair with a towel. She came towards the bed and sat down on the edge.

“You’re dressed?”

“Yes, Lavanya and I have to get going, aunty and uncle will start to worry if we don’t get home soon.”

“I understand. Thank you, for last night. It was the best night of my life. Literally the best birthday I have ever had.”

“I… You’re welcome.”

“And I hope we have many more nights like last night coming soon.”

“Arnav, I was thinking, maybe we shouldn’t do this again any time soon.”

“What? Why not?”

Arnav sat up, his forehead creased as he looked at her.

“Because it’s wrong Arnav. I know you love me and I love you, but we can’t do this. Just imagine if we don’t get married to each other. We would have to tell whoever we marry that we’ve already have sex before. I don’t know how to explain this, but it would be awkward and it could cause complications. Hence why I believe that we shouldn’t do it again until we know we will actually be marrying each other, or to be safer, after marriage.”

“I understand what you are saying, but now that we have done this, I can’t stay away from you Khushi. And whether we’ve done it once, or whether we do it every night, it doesn’t change the fact that we have done it. If it comes down to it, and if we do have to think about marrying other people, if someone wanted to hold it against you, one night is enough for them to reject you.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but please try to understand what I am saying too. As much as it is about the future, it is about me too. I just feel I would feel guilty if we kept doing it outside of marriage. I don’t know if I can live with myself knowing that I was regularly having premarital sex.”

Arnav took her hands into his and smiled.

“I understand what you’re saying and I respect your wishes. If you don’t want to do it, then we won’t. I’ll wait, because I love you and I want you to be at ease with me.”

“Thank you, for being so understanding. I know it’s going to be hard but think about it like this, next time we do it, we won’t have any barriers between us. Not even a condom.”

“My, my, you are one bold woman. But you know we could have done it without a condom last night, but it was just to protect you. And me really.”

“I know.”

A comfortable silence fell between them and Arnav moved in to kiss her. But just as the gap between them reduced, Arnav’s phone rang. Sighing, he answered the phone.

“Yeah?”

“Bhai, it’s Akaash. Lavanya’s saying to tell Khushi to hurry up, they have to go.”

“Yeah, ok. Khushi’s on her way.”

Disconnecting the call, Arnav turned to Khushi, sighing.

“Akaash’s call, Lavanya wants you to hurry up.”

“Are you going to take me downstairs, or am I to leave on my own?”

Arnav smiled and got out of bed.

“Give me 5 minutes.”

Arnav went to have a shower and Khushi began to tidy the room a bit. She put the used wrappers into the bin, and saw all the used condoms that were already lying at the bottom of the bin. Khushi moved to make the bed and couldn’t help but relive all that had happened the night before. She saw that there were some blood stains, evidence of what had happened, the last of her virginity. Stripping the bed, the left the bed linen in the wash basket by the door.

Before she could think of anything else, Arnav had come out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go. He took Khushi’s hand and they left the room. Upon reaching the main hall, the saw that some of the decorations from the night before were still around. The Raizada’s and Lavanya were having breakfast, talking. Shyam looked up and saw Arnav and Khushi.

“Aagaya Saale Saab aur Khushi ji.”

“Oh, good morning chote and Khushi.”

“Good morning Di.”

“Did you have a good nights sleep?”

Arnav looked at Khushi, who blushed, giving them away instantly.

“The best nights sleep ever Di.”

He’s Amazing ~ Part 11 {Reloaded}

X9HmSPF

When the song came to an end, Arnav dipped Khushi and they held their position. Their eyes locked on each other. Everyone was still for a moment, not knowing how to react. The dance had been passionate, very passionate. There had been lifts, dips, tight embraces and close proximity throughout the entire dance that amazed everyone. Payal was the first to pull herself out of the trance and began to clap, causing everyone to follow her lead. Arnav and Khushi’s trance broke and pulled away from one another, Arnav smirking and Khushi blushing. The next song came on and all the other couples took to the dance floor. Arnav smiled at Khushi as he stepped towards her once more.

 

“You’re an amazing dancer.”

“So are you.”

 

“Yikes! Khushi! What the heck you guys!”

 

Arnav looked up and saw that Lavanya was making a beeline towards them.

 

“This is my cue to make an exit otherwise she’s going to attack me.”

 

Before Khushi could protest, Arnav rushed away. She watched as Lavanya closed in on her. Putting her hands out, Khushi addressed La before La had the chance to attack her.

 

“La, please don’t say what I know you’re going to say.”

“What, that you and Arnav totally burnt the dance floor and that your chemistry is just mind blowing!”

“Yup, that.”

“Khushi, I told you. He was the one for you!”

 

Rolling her eyes, Khushi took Lavanya’s arm and they left the dance floor.

 

The remainder for the night was a blast, everyone danced and when they were hungry made their way towards the food table. Arnav had hardly let go of Khushi all night. They had danced until there came a point where Khushi’s feet wouldn’t permit her to stand any longer. Sitting down, Khushi took off her heels and Arnav sat down with her. Wrapping his arm around her, he moved in to kiss her, but was interrupted by Pooja.

 

“Oh, sorry guys, am I interrupting anything?”

 

Sighing lightly so that only Khushi would notice it, Arnav moved away from her.

 

“No, not really. What’s up Pooja, are you enjoying yourself?”

“Oh that’s great that I am not interrupting. It means that I can make my request without feeling bad. Arnav come on let’s dance. You haven’t danced with me all evening! You can’t expect me to enjoy myself when you haven;t even danced with me yet.”

“Poo, I’m slightly tired now. I don’t really feel like dancing.”

“Oh come on Arnav! You haven’t danced with me and it’s nearly the end of the night!”

 

Khushi felt bad. She knew that part of the reason why Arnav hadn’t danced with anyone else was because she wanted him to dance with her. Putting her hand on his arm, Khushi urged Arnav to go.

 

“Go Arnav. It’s not fair, you haven’t danced with Pooja yet.”

 

Arnav looked at Khushi and she smiled. She hoped that she was able to convey to him that she wanted him to go and give his other guests attention too. He reluctantly got up and Pooja took his hand and led him onto the dance floor.

Once they hit the dance floor, Khushi noticed how Arnav kept a safe distance from Pooja but she pulled him closer each time. Khushi watched as Arnav kept putting distance between himself and Pooja but she kept closing the distance between them. There was something about this that caused Khushi to feel slightly uncomfortable. She looked away just as Lavanya came and sat down beside her. 

 

“Oh god Khushi, I’m so tired. NK has been keeping me on my feet for ages, all he wants to do is dance! But it’s not all bad, I’ve got to know quite a bit about him. He’s really sweet and kind! Any way, where’s Arnav?”

“Dancing.”

“What, with whom?”

“Pooja.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I told him to go and dance with her. She’s his friend after all and she came here today to spend time with him and celebrate his birthday. It would have been rude if he spent all his time with me and then I still kept him beside me even when I didn’t want to dance any more.”

“I guess you have a point. As long as you’re okay though, that’s all that matters.”

 

Khushi nodded and Lavanya went back to speaking about NK. But Khushi’s eye’s kept making their way back to Arnav and Pooja. Was she really okay with this? Was she really comfortable with Pooja having her hands all over her Arnav?

 

*****

 

“Khushi, I’m so sorry, I really do want to spend time with you. I wanted to come back ages ago, but Pooja just wanted to keep on dance.”

 

Arnav had finally broken free from Pooja and he had finally come back to Khushi. She had lost track of how long he had actually been with her for, but Khushi was certain that he had been with her for about an hour. In that time, she had spent a fair amount of time on her own. The Raizada’s had come over to her to keep her company, but they all left after spending a few moments with her because they all wanted to spend time with their respective partners. La too had spent a fair amount of time with her but she had felt it was unfair to ask La to stay with her when she knew how much Lavanya was enjoying her time with NK.

It had been a bit of a drag but Khushi knew that she couldn’t complain, after all, it was his birthday celebration.

 

“It’s fine Arnav, really. She’s one of your oldest friends, she has rights.”

“I’m so glad you understand. Any way, do you want to go somewhere more private? I mean we could book into a room and spend the rest of the evening there. Just me and you… That way no one else would be able to bother us.”

 

The offer was tempting, but Khushi knew that she couldn’t take Arnav away from his own party.

 

“We cant do that Arnav, I mean what will everyone think. They’re all here to celebrate your birthday and then you go missing. It wont look right.”

 

Khushi looked at her watch. It was nearly 11. She gasped.

 

“Oh god! Arnav I have to get home! Aunty will kill me and Lavanya if we don’t get home soon.”

“Shall I drop you off?”

“No it’s fine. We’ll get an auto.”

“Not at this time of night Khushi. Who knows what these late night drivers are like? There are some really dodgy people out there. I’m not going to risk it, Khushi.”

 

Just at that point Khushi’s phone started ringing. She answered it without looking at the caller ID.

 

“Hello?”

“Khushi, where are you girls!”

 

Khushi jumped to her feet upon hearing Garima’s voice.

 

“We’re still at the hotel, we were just leaving.”

“How are you coming?”

“By auto.”

“No Khushi! Not by auto, it’s not safe! Isn’t there any of your friends there that can drop you off?”

 

Khushi thought about it for a moment and thought about Arnav’s offer to drop them off, but it was too risky. If someone saw her and Lavanya with him, there would be a whole lot of questions that would have to be answered.

 

“No, there isn’t anyone.”

“Tell you what, you’re party is at a hotel right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Fine, you and Lavanya book into a room and spend the night there. Don’t worry about the bill, just tell Lavanya to put it onto her credit card and your uncle will pay for it.”

“Aunty there’s really no need, we’ll come back. We’ve taken autos plenty of times before.”

“No Khushi, just spend the night there. Look I’ll call later, your buaji needs something. Keep safe and don’t leave your room!”

“Ok, bye aunty.”

 

Arnav looked at Khushi and she smiled.

 

“What happened?”

“Aunty said to get a room and then La and I should stay.”

“Excellent! We’re all staying too! Me, Di, Jijaji, Payal, Akaash and NK!”

 

Khushi nodded and Arnav took her hand as they made their way back onto the dance floor.

 

*****

 

By 12, all the guests started to leave. Pooja eyed Khushi and realised that she wasn’t going to leave any time soon. She huffed a little and then left. Only the Raizada’s, Lavanya and Khushi remained. They all sat around a large coffee table in the main hall and talked. Arnav was looking at Khushi the whole time, his eyes not moving at all. Khushi blushed as she felt the heat of his gaze on her.

 

“Hey guys, I have an idea. Let’s play a game!”

“NK, aren’t we a bit too old for games?”

“Payal bhabi, you can never be too old for games!”

“Fine, tell us, what do you want to play?”

“Spin the bottle.”

 

All groaned and protested, but NK remained adamant that they should play. Finally, for the sake of NK, they decided to play. He was as old as all the rest of them; however had the mindset of a child. He pulled an empty bottle out, made sure that the lid was secured and placed it down onto the table. finally, he spun it. Everyone watched it going round and then it began to slow down. It stopped on Arnav.

 

“Ah, Nanav! Truth or dare.”

“You know me; it’s got to be a dare.”

“You have to kiss someone from this circle, full on, on the lips and it has to be in front of us all.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes, it is.”

“As you wish. You’ve just told me to do, what I’ve wanted to all evening!”

 

Arnav walked over to where Khushi was sitting and took her hand. He pulled her to her feet and she stood up slowly, and she looked into Arnav’s eyes nervously. His hands slowly reached up to cup her face, and moved in. Khushi closed her eyes, anticipating the kiss. Then she felt his lips. Warm and hard. The kiss started gently, until he pulled her flush against him. This made Khushi gasp and Arnav took this opportunity to push his tongue into her mouth. She tasted so right. So sweet and feminine, nothing compared to her taste. Khushi let her own tongue wonder into Arnav’s mouth. They had completely forgotten about the rest of the family that were still there. Everyone had looked away, blushing slightly. NK mentally cursed himself. After a long while, the kiss slowed and Arnav and Khushi broke away. Staring at each other for a while, they remember that they weren’t alone. Khushi pulled herself out of Arnav’s arms and blushed. However Arnav wasn’t satisfied, the beast within him was still roaring, it needed more.

 

“Akaash, what room am I staying in?”

“Room 45, floor 4.”

“Fine, I’m off then.”

 

He took Khushi’s hand and pulled her away. She looked at Arnav confused and then looked to Lavanya who was equally confused. But she followed his lead. As they approached the lift and as they waited for the door to open, Arnav wrapped his arm around her and whispered into her ear.

 

“Khushi, I can’t hold back any more. I need you!”

He’s Amazing ~ Part 10 {Reloaded}

DH9PzSw

 

It was nearly half 5 the next evening and Khushi and Lavanya were getting ready to go to Arnav’s party. Dresses were draped over the sofa, the bed and scattered all over the floor. In the end, Khushi had chosen a dark green anarkali suit. The suit that she had picked was a relatively simple one, with a simple dark green and gold boarder running along the bottom of the dress and along the dupatta. Lavanya had picked a similar but slightly more simple one but in blue.

Both were doing their hair and their make up, looking to each other to make sure that they weren’t going overboard.

By half 6 both were completely ready to go.

 

“La, tell me honestly, how do I look?”

“You’re gonna knock him dead!”

“Are you sure? I mean I know you had suggested wearing a western dress, but I’m meeting his siblings for the first time, I just think traditional is a far safer option. I don’t know what his sister is like but from what he said, she sounds pretty traditional and I…”

 

Grabbing Khushi by the shoulders, Lavanya shook her slightly.

 

“Snap out of it, you’re spiralling. You look amazing and you’re going to knock them all dead. You look dressed up without being too dressed up and I’m sure his sister will appreciate the effort that you’ve made. Any way, tell me, how do I look?”

“As always, stunning! I swear you look so much better than I do!”

 

Playfully Lavanya shook her head.

 

“You need to relax and be more confident in yourself. When one feels confident, it shows on the outside. You just need to relax, take a deep breathe and truly believe me when I say you’re looking like fire. So, hhall we leave? It’ll take a while to get to the hotel, you know, its traffic time and we don’t want to be late.”

 

Nodding, Khushi looked at herself in the mirror once more and took a deep breathe as she picked up her purse. She could do this, this was going to be fine.

 

*****

 

A couple of minutes past 7, Khushi and Lavanya reached the hotel. Looking to each other, they asked one another if they still looked fine. Once they were sure they looked good, they made their way towards the hotel. As they entered the lobby and were greeted by NK, who beamed the moment he saw them both.

 

“Ah, Khushi, Lavanya! Come in, come in! I’ve been waiting for you to come for the last hour!”

“Hi NK!”

“Hey NK. Why were you waiting for the last hour, we were told 7?”

 

NK smiled sheepishly at Lavanya’s question and ran his hand through his hair awkwardly.

 

“I guess I was just eager to see you both again.”

 

Before he could say anything more, a voice drifted through the lobby.

 

“NK bhai! Where are you?”

“Di, I’m in the lobby, Khushi and Lavanya are here!”

 

There was a moment of stillness and then four people rushed out from respective areas, coming to greet the new arrivals. Khushi looked from one to another, the two women were both as beautiful as each other, one slightly taller than the other, with the slightly older woman displaying striking similarities to Arnav. The two men that had emerged were absolutely dashing, one displaying a similar facial structure to Arnav but only slightly.

 

“Hi, I’m Anjali! Arnav’s big sister.”

“Oh, er.”

 

Lavanya rolled her eyes at a dumbfound Khushi and put her hands together to greet the people in front of them.

 

“Namaste Anjali ji, I’m Lavanya and this is Khushi.”

 

“Khushi you can speak to me! No need to be shy!”

“Na-na-Namaste.”

“Chote wasn’t joking, you really are very cute.”

 

Khushi blushed and bought up the courage to respond but the other man, the one that looked lightly like Arnav, playfully nudged Anjali aside so that he could be standing in front of Khushi.

 

“Di, enough, let us meet Khushi too! Hi, I’m Akash and this is my wife Payal.”

 

Akash stuck his hand out and Khushi shook it and smiled at Payal. So this was his cousin and his sister in law. Meaning the man that was now coming towards Khushi was Arnav’s brother in law.

 

“Hi.”

“Hello Khushi ji, I’m Shyam, Anjali’s husband, Arnav’s favourite brother-in-law.”

 

“You’re his only brother-in-law!”

 

Khushi smiled as she watched Anjali nudge her husband, but before anyone could say anything more, NK came back and got everyone’s attention.

 

“Di, Jijaji, Akaash bhai, Payal Bhabi, enough of the introductions, let’s gets into the hall!”

 

The 7 of them made their way over to the grand hall which had been decorated for the event. It had blue lights and cream drapes. It was simplistic but classy, just how Arnav would like it. Khushi and Lavanya looked around in awe.

 

“NK, where’s Arnav, Khushi’s dying to see him!”

“He’s just got called from work, he had an urgent meeting that he needed to attend, but he’ll be here soon.”

 

Khushi felt both relieved and disappointed at the same time. She was relieved because it meant that she would have a little more time to speak to his siblings and get to know them so that she was more comfortable around them by the time he arrived, but she was disappointed because it meant that she would have to wait longer before she would be able to see him again. As Lavanya spoke to NK, Khushi walked over to Anjali.

 

“Anjali ji, haven’t any of the other guests arrived yet?”

“No, they will all arrive after 9. They may even be later if they want to be fashionably late which is what a lot of Chote’s friends like to do.”

“But Arnav said for me and Lavanya to be here by 7.”

“That’s so that we could all get to know each other. If you had come at the same time as all the other guests, it would have meant that I wouldn’t have been able to give you undivided attention as I would have had to make sure that I was attending to all the other guests as well.”

“Oh! Of course, yes that makes sense.”

“Any way, Khushi, please call me Di, seeing as you and chote will soon be tying the knot!”

 

Khushi was thrown off by this comment but before she could respond, Lavanya, who had come back to her side, responded for her.

 

“They will?”

“Of course they will Lavanya. Well that’s after Khushi finishes her degree that it. Marriage is important but that doesn’t mean education should be ignored!”

“I so agree with you! Khushi looks like I should start selecting my dresses!”

 

Khushi looked down and blushed. They were already thinking about getting her and Arnav married! And they didn’t even know her that well yet. She loved this family! But she also felt a knot in her stomach. Was this all going too fast? She hadn’t even thought about marriage at all, let alone with Arnav and now she was being told that this was something that they had already supposedly spoken and thought about?

 

“You know Lavanya, NK was talking about you quite a bit about you the other evening. I feel he’s quite taken by you as well. You never know, we Raizada’s can do anything at anytime, it might just end up being a double wedding!”

 

It was Lavanya’s turn to look down and blush.

 

“Di, Akash! Where the hell are all you people?”

“We’re in the hall Chote!”

 

Startled by his voice, Khushi looked at her dress, checking that she looked nice and took a deep breath. Arnav walked in and Khushi couldn’t help but gasp. He looked amazing. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a white shirt and a dark blue tie. He looked totally hot!

Arnav too was blown away looking at Khushi. Slowly he made towards her, holding eye contact the whole time as he closed the distance between them. 

 

“Yo, Nanav, we’re here!”

 

This bought Arnav out of his trance and made him break his eye contact with Khushi. Shaking his head, he looked to Khushi and then Lavanya, smiling as he approached them. 

 

“Hey, Khushi, Lavanya! You’ve arrived.”

“Happy birthday Arnav!”

“Thanks La!”

 

“Ha-ha-Happy birthday Ar-arnav.”

“Thanks, why are you so nervous?”

 

He casually wrapped his arm around her as he pecked the top of her head.

 

“Chote, it’s because we’ve told her about our plans!”

“What plans?”

“Your marriage plans!”

“Oh god, Di, I told you, its way too soon to think like that!”

 

Khushi breathed in relief. She knew she loved Arnav, but marriage was still something she didn’t want to think about. She still wanted to get to know him better, spend some time with him to get to know his little quirks and then, once she had finished her studies, then they could think about moving to the next level of their relationship. But for now she was happy with how they were. 

 

Everyone sat down and talked for a while, waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive…

 

*****

 

At half 9, most of the guests had arrived and everyone was wishing Arnav. Khushi hung back with Lavanya, watching everyone greet Arnav. It wasn’t until a tall, skinny, beautiful girl in a short dress walked in, that Khushi actually began to pay attention to the guests. The girl walked in, looking around at everyone that was there and the moment she saw Arnav, she flew into his arms.

Khushi gasped and turned away feeling stung. Who was this woman?

 

“What the hell! Khushi who the hell is that? She’s got her hands all over your dude! Stop her!”

“Lavanya, it’s probably his friend we can’t do anything!”

“Wanna bet? Yo! NK!”

 

NK walked over to Lavanya and smiled.

 

“Yes, what’s the matter?”

“NK, who’s the girl with Arnav?”

“It’s his childhood best friend, Pooja.”

“And why exactly are her hands all over ASR? Khushi’s feeling insecure and uncomfortable! And you can’t blame her.”

“Of course not, Khushi come with me!”

 

Reluctantly, Khushi followed NK but looked back at La, cursing her for doing this to her. Yeah she was feeling insecure but that didn’t mean she wanted to confront Arnav about it. She didn’t want him to think of her as a clingy, insecure girlfriend. She knew he wasn’t the type of man that would appreciate that. 

 

“Nanav! You left Khushi! She wants to spend some time with you as well you know!”

“Hey Khushi, sorry babes, just got caught up.”

 

“Ahem.”

“Oh sorry, Pooja, this is Khushi, Khushi this is Pooja, my best friend from when we were in kindergarden.”

 

“Oh, hi, I’m Khushi, Arnav’s… I’m his… Student from university.”

“Student?”

 

“Gosh, Khushi, you’re not just my student! Pooja, Khushi is my girlfriend!”

“Oh! Wow! Arnav! You’ve finally found yourself a girl! Aw darling, I’m so happy for you. Khushi you are absolutely beautiful, I’m sure he’s told you that, but really, I’m really happy for you guys. I hope that you have a proper future and not just dating and stuff.”

“Well di and the rest of my crazy lot want us to get married, so let’s see!”

“Wow, you’ve already told Nani, and she agrees?”

“Well no, nani, mamaji and mamiji don’t know yet, but I’m sure they won’t have any problems with Khushi.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they won’t!”

 

Khushi looked around nervously. So everyone in his family knew apart from those who really mattered. And not just that, but he wasn’t even trying to hide their relationship, he was telling everyone about them. What if the elders found out and thought ill of her? What if they didn’t approve. And there was still her family to think about! God, maybe this wont work! There were so many things that could go wrong. Khushi could feel herself spiralling but she couldn’t stop her thoughts. They just kept hitting her, one after the other and she could feel herself starting to hyperventilate a little. But before she completely lost control of her thoughts and her breathing, her thoughts were interrupted by Shyam.

 

“Saale Saab, hurry up, we want to make the official announcement and then we need to get this party started. Oh, Pooja ji, hello, lovely to see you again. Please come through. Khushi ji, come on, you are needed to!”

 

Arnav offered Khushi his arm and she took it gladly. Pooja looked at the happy couple and smiled.

 

“God, you’re both so cute.”

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take a seat. Firstly I would like to thank all of you for joining us today to wish my brother, who is 26 today. Big round of applause guys! Now as per tradition, Arnav bhai will dance with someone of his choice to the first song. Bhai choose your partner.”

“Khushi, will you give me this dance?”

 

Khushi took Arnav’s hand and they made their way to the middle of the dance floor. Pooja saw this and gasped. Every year Arnav had danced with her for the first dance. She knew that he had a girlfriend now, but even in then past when he had a girlfriend, his first dance at his birthday was always reserved for her. It was an unwritten rule. This was wrong. All wrong. How could he dance with someone else instead of her? Pooja knew she shouldn’t feel so strongly and that she shouldn’t let herself get this upset, but she couldn’t help it. This wasn’t right, this had never happened before?#

 

Arnav and Khushi reached the dance floor and the music came on. ‘Teri Meri’ came on and Lavanya silently had a moment. That was Khushi’s favourite song and she had always dreamt about dancing to it with her prince charming.

Khushi’s breathing had stopped when the music came on. Since this song had come out, it had always been a dream that she would dance with her Mr Right on this song and now it was happening? It was actually happening on it’s own accord?# She looked at Arnav who was getting ready. His arms were placed protectively around her and he gestured for her to place her arms around his neck. She did so and thought,

 

“Is Arnav truly my prince charming?”

Jalebi ~ Part 21

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Devyani Raizada was a very smart woman. What her son and her grandsons refused to admit to her, she already knew. Before her son got married, he had been adamant in making her believe that there was no woman in his life. A few months later, he told her there was someone whom he wanted to marry. Akash had been acting coy for months before finally revealing that he had proposed to someone. And now Arnav… She could read Arnav most clearly because the woman that he wanted was right in front of them all.

For weeks during the wedding preparations, Devyani observed the way Arnav interacted with Khushi. She watched how at every moment, Arnav would find opportunities to speak to Khushi, she watched how their hands brushed against the others. She watched as Khushi blushed when he stepped to close to her. Devyani was certain that there was something there between Arnav and Khushi, but it didn’t seem that anyone was about to tell her about it just yet.

It was then decided by Devyani that as soon as Akash’s wedding was out of the way, she would sit Arnav and Khushi down and speak to them about what was going on between them and what their intentions were regarding each other.

 

*****

 

Knocking on the door to Khushi’s apartment, Arnav took a deep breath, made sure his tie was straight, and then waited.

 

Throwing the door open, Khushi smiled and ushered him in.

 

“Mama, papa, Arnav’s here.”

 

After much planning and discussing, Arnav and Khushi found an available evening when Arnav could come round and have dinner with Khushi and her parents.

After a full afternoon of cooking and cleaning, Lalita was finally prepared to meet Arnav.

Coming out of the bedroom, Khushi’s father smiled and walked over to Arnav.

 

“What a gentleman, he rings on the doorbell of his own apartment.”

“Namaste uncle. And I do have a key but I couldn’t use it, after all I have rented this place to Khushi and considering she is insistent on paying me, I can hardly just walk in.”

“Fair enough my boy, fair enough. Any way, these beautiful roses, are they for my beautiful daughter?”

“Erm…”

 

Arnav looked between Khushi and her father before shaking his head. He saw Khushi’s mother emerging from the kitchen and walked over to her and handed her the flowers.

 

“These were actually for aunty.”

 

Lalita took the roses that Arnav was handing to her and smiled. They were a beautiful shade of deep red.

 

“Why thank you so much, you really didn’t need to. Let me just go and put these in water.”

 

As Khushi’s mother walked back into the kitchen, Khushi raised her eyebrow at Arnav.

 

“Anyway, why are we stood here? Come on through my boy, let’s sit before dinner is ready.”

 

Leading Arnav into the living area, Khushi’s father sat down and then Arnav took a seat opposite him. Khushi watched as the two men bonded instantly, talking about business and sport.

A little later, dinner was served. Khushi’s parents sat on one side of the table, while Arnav and Khushi sat opposite them.

 

“So Arnav, what really are your intentions regarding our daughter?”

 

Arnav put down his fork and turned to Khushi, who placed a hand on his knee under the table.

 

“Woh… Uncle… I didn’t want to say anything until after Akash and Payal wedding, but seeing as you’re asking. I want to marry your daughter. And I was going to ask for her hand properly once Akash and Payal’s wedding was done. But yeah…”

 

Gasping, Lalita raised her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. Khushi looked down, smiling to herself.

 

“You want… You’ve thought about marrying Khushi.”

“Jee uncle. I have thought about marrying Khushi for a while now. I’m serious about your daughter and I really do love her. So with your permission, I would like to marry Khushi in the near future.”

 

Turning his attention away from Arnav, Karan looked to Khushi who kept her gaze down, blushing furiously.

 

“Khushi, do you want to marry Arnav too.”

 

Not looking up, Khushi nodded slightly.

 

“I mean, it is very obvious that you care about our daughter and she cares about you. But Arnav, I will really need to speak to your family. More formality than anything else, but I need to.”

“I completely understand. And I would like to speak to my elders first anyway. Nani won’t be pleased if I don’t tell her myself.”

“That sounds like quite a good plan. Well I’m glad we have an understanding. Maybe once Payal’s wedding is done we will be able to start planning yours and Khushi’s soon.”

 

Everyone content with what had been discussed went back to enjoying their food.

Whilst still talking to her parents, Arnav dropped his hand under the table and placed it on Khushi’s knee. For a while, his hand had remained stationary, not budging from her knee. However now, his hand was moving up, and was resting on her thigh. Catching his hand, she stopped him in his tracks, but his fingers continued to caress her thigh. Even through her shelwar, she could feel the heat of his hand on her skin.

Arnav kept her hand on her leg, no longer moving it up, but he refused to move it. They all carried on eating, making small talk.

Once dinner was done, Khushi and her mother cleared up.

 

“Any way, Shashi and Garima called us round, they want to discuss some wedding related stuff. So we’re going to head off now.”

“When are you going to be back?”

“Were going to stay the night over there because we have to go with them to see some family early tomorrow morning.”

“Is it okay if I stay at home, I have work tomorrow and there’s some stuff I need to go through.”

“Of course. Arnav beta, you stay for a while too.”

 

Nodding, Arnav thanked his lucky stars that her parents were leaving them alone. He couldn’t wait to have some alone time with her.

A little while later, Khushi’s parents left.

 

“So…”

“So.”

“Looks like we have the whole place to ourselves.”

 

He moved closer to Khushi, closing the gap between them. Placing his hands on her waist, he pulled her into himself before lifting her off her feet and making their way towards the bedroom.

 

“Arnav we can’t…”

 

She couldn’t finish her words because he placed her down onto the bed and covered her lips with his own. Placing his hands on her waist, he held her down on the bed, touching her through her clothes.

Coming up for air, Arnav unbuttoned his suit jacket and put it aside before loosening his tie.

 

“Smart Singh Raizada’s done for the day?”

“Smart Singh Raizada was for your parents. For you, I’m Sexually Frustrated Singh Raizada.”

“Horny Singh Raizada.”

“You know it baby. Now, do you want to take your clothes off or shall I?”

“Arnav we can’t…”

“I know, I know, but surely we can make out.”

“Clothes don’t need to come off to make out.”

“They do, because I need to see your sexy body and be able to feel your soft skin.”

“But will you be able to control yourself?”

“I promise, I will.”

 

Laughing, Khushi pulled back and undid the dori of her kameez and pulled it off over her head. She moved back in, cupping Arnav’s face, ready to kiss him when he stopped her.

 

“Shelwar and let me get my clothes off too.”

“Arnav are you sure you’ll be able to control yourself?”

“I need to feel your skin against mine even if we aren’t making love.”

 

Blushing, Khushi tentatively pulled at the strings of her shelwar, but Arnav stopped her. He undid the stings himself and then hooked his fingers into her waist band, pulling her shelwar away from her every so slowly, giving her time to say no if she wanted. She didn’t.

Moving back, he took her in. She was wearing a lacy light blue pair of panties and bra. He then turned his attention back to his clothes. Moving his hands away, Khushi unbuttoned his shirt for him while he made light work of his trousers.

Once clothes were off and they remained just in their underwear, Arnav pushed Khushi down onto the bed, moving over her, taking her lips between his once more. His hands rested on her exposed waist, holding her down while his lips caused havoc on her neck. One hand in his hair, the other on the back of his neck, Khushi hooked her leg around his waist, rubbing herself against him.

Gone were the days when she would shy away. When they made out, she was bold, demanding, showed him exactly what she wanted from him.

Arnav could feel himself harden and it frustrated him knowing that they couldn’t, whereas Khushi still found it amusing that she had such an effect on him.

 

“Oh look, someone’s jumped up for attention.”

 

Pushing Arnav onto his back, Khushi moved over him, sitting over his hardness, rubbing it gently with her bottom as she leaned back in to kiss him. Arnav’s hands were on Khushi’s back as she continued to kiss him while she ground her body against his.

Arnav groaned as the friction she was creating got too much for him. He needed to rip her clothes away and bury himself deep in her body. He needed her so bad and it was evident from the way she was moving over him that she too really needed him.

How were they going to be able to hold off until after marriage?

 

*****

 

Much, much later, Arnav walked out of the bathroom after a cold shower and saw Khushi get into her pyjamas after her shower. He’d got dressed again, much to his dismay, and was now ready to set off for home.

Coming over to Khushi, he pressed a kiss on her cheek.

 

“Told you I could control myself.”

“I’m impressed, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I’m promising you now. I won’t make love to you again til our wedding night.”

 

The idea of their wedding night sent a shiver of excitement through her body. It’s not like they’d be doing anything that they hadn’t done before. But it was the thought of doing it as Mr and Mrs Arnav Singh Raizada for the first time that excited her. Mrs Khushi Singh Raizada… Mrs Khushi Arnav Singh Raizada. Mrs Khushi Raizada… She played with all the variations that she could choose from.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

“Mrs Khushi Arnav Singh Raizada or Mrs Khushi Raizada?”

“What?”

“My name after marriage. There’s so many options.”

 

Arnav wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

 

“I was thinking Mrs Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada.”

“That’s so long though!”

“I know, but I don’t think a woman should have to drop her maiden name after marriage. Personally, I don’t mind how you choose to name yourself, if you choose not to take my name at all, I don’t mind. It won’t change the fact that you will be mine.”

 

He had a point. A name was a name. However she chose to be known after marriage, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was Mrs Arnav Singh Raizada at heart. Khushi placed her hand over Arnav’s heart and rested her head on Arnav’s chest.

 

“What did I do to get such an understanding and sensible person in my life?”

 

Wrapping his arms around her, Arnav placed a kiss on her head.

 

“I like it. Mrs Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. KKGSR. Wife of ASR. I like it.”

“Then that’s who you will be. I can’t wait to make you KKGSR.”

“I can’t either.”

 

*****

 

“Arnav… Let me go…”

“I haven’t held onto you to let you go.”

“What is it with you and pulling me away when there’s a houseful of people?”

“The sneaking around is what makes our relationship more fun don’t you think?”

 

Khushi couldn’t disagree, he did have a point. Something about sneaking around when everyone was around was exciting. It caused adrenaline to run through her body.

Today was Payal and Akash’s sangeet and they should be out there cheering for everyone who was performing, instead they were locked away in the kitchen again. But Khushi wasn’t going to allow this again not after they got caught last time. Pushing him away, Khushi moved across to the other side of the kitchen.

 

“Khushi…”

“No no no.”

 

Moving towards her again, Arnav pulled Khushi into his arms and attempted to kiss her once more.

 

“Arnav Singh Raizada.”

“Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada.”

“That’s not me yet.”

“In my head that’s who you are.”

“If you keep behaving like this I’ll only ever be KKGSR in your head.”

 

And with that, Khushi turned away. Arnav watched her go. She was annoyed. God he loved it when she was annoyed. She looked so sexy when she was angry with him. But he knew something needed to be done to make her happy again.

 

*****

 

After running around and getting everyone on board with his plan, Arnav was ready to make Khushi happy with him again.

When the time was right, Arnav signalled everyone to get started and he turned his attention to Khushi who was sat beside Payal.

 

 

As Arnav started signing and dancing like SRK, Khushi couldn’t help but feel a smile spread across her face. No way was he doing this for her. Payal nudged Khushi and raised her eyebrow as Khushi got to her feet.

 

“Babul ki galliyan na chad ke jaane.”

 

And so it began. The fight Anjali and Rahul had all those years ago became Arnav and Khushi’s argument. Khushi loved how fitting the song was. Of course she wasn’t being serious about what she said in the kitchen. But she loved this any way and really got into the music.

When their performance ended, Arnav pulled Khushi aside, trapping her between his arms.

 

“So… Will you leave your fathers home and come and live with me.”

“We’ll have to see Raizada, only time will tell if our relationship really was formed many many many years ago.”

 

And with that, Khushi ducked under Arnav arm and ran away. Laughing, Arnav watched her rush away.

 

“Pagal.”

Jalebi ~ Part 20

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By the time Arnav and Khushi awake from their slumber it was nearing 3am. The rain was still falling outside, loud and heavy.

Looking at the time, Arnav jumped up and ran his hand through his hair.

 

“Shit! Look at the time.”

 

Looking at the clock, Khushi too gasped.

 

“Mom and dad… They’re going to kill me. I said I’d get home before too late.”

 

Pulling the sheets around her, Khushi got out of bed and pulled her phone out of her bag. She saw that she had a couple of missed calls from her parents and then a text from her dad saying that the weather was really bad and that he would feel much more at ease if Arnav and Khushi didn’t attempt to come home in this weather.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Khushi quickly tapped out a reply before taking her charger out of the bag, plugging it in and then putting her phone down before getting back into bed with Arnav.

 

“Don’t worry, dad said the weathers too bad and that we should find somewhere to stay and not try and get back into the city in this weather.”

 

Arnav relaxed against the pillows and pulled Khushi into his arms.

 

“You hair is still wet.”

 

Touching her hair, Khushi realised that Arnav was right.

 

“We should have showers before we both fall ill.”

“Might be too late for that already.”

 

Laughing, Arnav got out of bed and handed Khushi a fresh towel. Holding the sheets close, Khushi got out of bed again and made her way over to the bathroom, before stopping dead in her tracks and raising her hand to her head.

 

“Clothes! Arnav my clothes are all out in the rain!”

“I’ll bring them in and put them in the drier for you. For now just take some of my clothes from the wardrobe and wear them after your shower.”

 

Nodding, Khushi went over to the wardrobe, and Arnav followed her, grabbing a dressing gown before he left the bedroom.

 

*****

 

Standing under the shower, Khushi let the hot water cascade down her body. It maybe long past 3am, but Khushi was feeling wide awake again, thoughts of everything that had happened between her and Arnav playing on her mind. She couldn’t believe that he was thinking about marriage, that he was ready and was willing to tell his family. That he was ready to ask her parents for her hand. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

If someone had told her a couple of years ago that she would merge her business with someone else’s and that she would fall in love with her business partner, she would have laughed in their faces and told them that they were crazy. But now that is was actually happening, she didn’t find it a hard concept to get her head around.

Yes, her business was still her priority, but she loved Arnav and it was evident that he wasn’t going to come between her and her business. They had managed to maintain a professional relationship while in a personal relationship and she was certain that they would be able to continue this.

Ready to turn the water off and get out of the shower, Khushi felt a strong pair of arms around her waist, lips kissing her exposed neck. Turning her head and lifting her face, Khushi saw Arnav standing behind her, his hands dropping to her hips and pulling her against him so she could feel his length against her butt.

 

“Hey…”

“I thought, why wait for you to be done when I could just join you in the shower.”

“I’m ready to get out now Arnav.”

“Nope, I don’t think you are.”

 

Spinning her around, Arnav pushed Khushi up against the wall of the shower, his hands all over her naked body.

 

“Arnav what are you…”

“I want you.”

“But we’ve already…”

 

Before she could finish what she wanted to say, his lips were on hers, his hands on her hips, pulling her close so the lower half of her body was crushed against his.

In no time, they were off again, Khushi’s moans filling the shower cubical…

 

*****

 

It was nearing 4am when Khushi pushed Arnav out of the bathroom so she could get dressed.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, Arnav laughed and got out and went to get dressed.

By the time he was fully dressed, Khushi got out of the bathroom, wearing one of his big t-shirts and a pair of shorts. Her hair was wrapped up in a big towel, her cheeks bright red from the heat of the bathroom.

 

“I found a hairdryer for you.”

 

Arnav pointed to the top of his dresser where a hairdryer was sat, waiting for Khushi.

 

“You always keep track of all my needs don’t you Mr Raizada?”

“I do… And I plan to keep track of them as we go through life together.”

 

For some reason, Khushi found Arnav’s words really made her blush. Biting her lip, she turned away so that she could dry her hair. He was promising a future… Promising that he would take care of what she needed in the future. He really was being serious about their life together and Khushi couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

 

*****

 

“Babe… Babe, wake up.”

 

Eyes fluttering open, Khushi was met with the beautiful sight of Arnav leaning over her. Stretching her arms over her head, Khushi looped her arms around his neck, pulled him close to herself and pressed a kiss on his lips before letting him go again.

 

“A man could really get used to waking up his girlfriend if he got greeted like that every morning.”

 

Laughing, Khushi sat up in bed, stretching her arms and legs.

 

“Did you sleep well?”

“Best nights sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

 

Moving the covers, Khushi swung her legs out of the bed and got to her feet. She was feeling slightly sore, but she didn’t want to worry Arnav. Arnav smirked as he took her in. She was still in his t-shirt that was completely oversized for her and came half way down her thighs and his shorts that were just peeping out from below the bottom of the shirt.

 

“You’re clothes are all dry and I’ve ironed them for you.”

 

He nodded to the sofa on the other side of the room and Khushi saw her clothes all sat there, ready for her.

 

“You didn’t have to iron them.”

“I know but you didn’t want to go home looking a complete wreck. May have caused your parents to ask a lot of questions.”

“You have a point there Raizada.”

“I’ve taken out a fresh toothbrush for you and left it on top of the towel. If you need anything else just let me know. I’m going to go and get breakfast ready.”

 

Arnav turned away and was about to leave the room when Khushi rushed over to him and hugged him from behind.

 

“Thank you… For being such an attentive and caring lover. And I’m not just thanking you for the clothes and the toothbrush. Last night… Last night was by far the most beautiful night of my life, maybe even more so than our first night together.”

 

Turning in her arms, he pressed a light kiss against her lips, looping his arms around her waist.

 

“Last night was… Intense and passionate and beautiful for me too. But I know we can’t do this again any time soon.”

 

Khushi felt slightly taken aback by him saying this. She was just about to say that herself.

 

“I know that’s what you would have said next and I understand. You wanted us to not spend the night together again until after marriage and I agreed with that. Last night is something we both needed but I know we can’t do that again. But it’s okay by me, as soon as Akash and Payal’s wedding is done, I will tell everyone about us and we’ll get our wedding on track as soon as possible.”

“Thank you for understanding me and my needs.”

“I told you, I’ll always take care of your needs and what you want from me.”

“I really do love you Arnav.”

“I love you too.”

 

*****

 

Walking through the front door of her apartment, Khushi was praying that her parents weren’t awake yet. It was still only half 7, so she was hoping she’d got back early enough to avoid any awkward questions. But unlucky for her, her father was sat in the living room, watching TV while eating his toast. Turning his attention to his daughter, he switched the TV off.

 

“Lalita! Khushi’s home!”

 

Putting her bag down on the sofa, Khushi came and sat down beside her father.

 

“You’re already awake?”

“I didn’t sleep well, the whole time difference thing is still causing me to sleep at weird times.”

“You’ll get used to it soon enough papa.”

“I hope so, otherwise it’s going to be a very long month.”

“Do you guys still plan on going back as soon as Payal’s wedding is over.”

“Haan beta. You know India isn’t the place for me. I don’t even know how I am going to stay here for a whole month.”

“But…”

 

She wanted to tell her father about what Arnav had said last night, about what he had proposed, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. How does one tell their father that their boyfriend was ready to talk to the families about marriage?

 

“Did you and Arnav get all your work done yesterday?”

“We did.”

“You should invite him round one day so we can all have dinner together or something. It was nice meeting him at the engagement but it’ll be nice to talk to him when I can actually hear him.”

“I’ll let him know.”

“He is good to you isn’t he Khushi?”

“He is papa. He takes the best care of me and he respects me so, so much.”

“Well I’m glad that you have found love and happiness with Arnav. I’m hoping you kids do plan on making things official very soon.”

 

Blushing, Khushi looked away and her father got the answer he needed. She didn’t need to say anything, he knew his daughter well enough to know that she and Arnav did have plans for the future.

 

“Go and have some breakfast now otherwise you’ll be late for work.”

“I’ve already had breakfast but haan, I do need to get ready for work.”

 

Getting to her feet, Khushi hugged her father quickly before rushing off to her bedroom.

Karan watched his daughter rush away, her cheeks glowing bright pink. May she always remain this happy. That’s all he wanted in life.

 

*****

 

Akash walked into Arnav’s office to find his brother smiling at his phone.

 

“Ahem.”

 

Locking his phone, Arnav turned around. It was evident that he hadn’t been expecting anyone to walk in on him just now.

 

“Hey Akash, what’s up bro?”

“Nothing, I just came to see if you came into the office. You didn’t come home last night.”

 

Smirking, Arnav winked at Akash, who shut the door behind him and sat down at Arnav’s desk.

 

“You and Khushi spent the night together?”

 

Arnav nodded and sat down in his seat, opposite Akash.

 

“If I tell you a secret, will you make sure you don’t tell anyone at home just yet?”

“Of course bhai! You know I’d never tell anyone anything you told me in confidence.”

“I know you wouldn’t. I just wanted to make sure you knew. Well it’s just… I’m going to tell Nani and everyone at home about me and Khushi after your wedding. And I’m going to tell them and her parents that I want to marry her.”

“Wait! You’re going to marry her?”

 

Nodding, Arnav smiled.

 

“I spoke to her about it last night and yeah… It’s what we both want and we’ve seen that we can balance business and personal so, I don’t see why we should wait.”

“Wow! Congratulations bhai! That’s… I’m so happy for you! But… Don’t you think it’s too soon. You guys haven’t even been dating for long.”

“I know,  but we love each other and we know we’re serious about each other, I know it’s going to work between us. I don’t feel we need to wait.”

 

Getting to his feet, Akash went over to Arnav and gave him a big hug.

 

“Really, I’m so happy you’ve found your happiness in Khushi. And if you guys know what you’re doing then of course I’m going to support your decisions.”

“Thanks bro, means a lot.”

 

Looking at his watch, Akash excused himself, saying that he had something important to attend to. Arnav let him go and then went to Khushi’s cabin to find her.

Her door was shut and so he knocked and waited.

 

“Come in.”

 

Pushing the door open, Arnav walked in, shut the door behind him and then proceeded to come and take a seat opposite her.

 

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

“You’re working away.”

“Yep. So much to do. You should be working yourself Mr Raizada.”

“I tried to work, but my girl is refusing to get out of my head today. You see, we shared a super passionate night together last night and I can’t stop thinking about her. Can’t stop thinking about how her soft skin felt against my hands, how her lips felt against mine. How her body moved under mine… I’m sure you can understand my issue.”

 

Biting her lip, Khushi turned her attention away from her laptop and looked at Arnav before lowering her eyes once more.

 

“You know, it’s highly inappropriate to talk to your business partner about your sex life.”

“Is it also inappropriate to tell my business partner that I really want to take her clothes off right now and make love to her on this very desk.”

“Very, very inappropriate…”

“But I can tell my business partner definitely is imagining how it would be if we actually did what I just mentioned.”

 

Arnav watched as Khushi’s eyes fluttered shut momentarily. He knew the effect his words were having on her, and he loved knowing how much he affected her.

 

“Arnav stop…”

 

Her voice was a mare whisper, pleading him to not make her want him more than she already did.

 

“Last night Khushi… I can’t stop thinking about us.”

“I can’t either.”

“To think, soon enough, that can be us every single night.”

“I can’t wait…”

“Are you okay, after last night? I wasn’t too rough with you or anything was I?”

“No, no you weren’t rough at all. But I am feeling a bit sore to be completely honest with you. But I guess it could be down to the fact that we haven’t really… I haven’t… Last night was only my second night so… And… You’re really big so…

“You don’t know how much it means to me, knowing that I will be your one and only. As for size, I think you accommodate me perfectly. Made for me.”

 

Looking away again, Khushi looked at the keyboard of her laptop, blushing furiously.

 

“There’s so much I want to do with you, try with you… I can’t wait to be married to you Khushi. To make you mine. To explore our sexuality together.”

 

He watched as her chest rose and fell rapidly. She was breathless, nervous, excited… She wanted everything he wanted and that excited him. Way more than he should allow himself to get excited at the office. Getting to his feet, he leaned over and pressed a kiss on the top of Khushi’s head.

 

“I’ve got to get back and get some work done. I’ll see you late baby.”

“Bye…”

 

He didn’t want to have to leave, but he knew that if either of them wanted to get any work done, he had to leave now. He turned his back and began to walk away. Khushi watched as he left, her heartbeat and breathing still erratic from his words. She wanted everything he wanted. And she too could wait until they got married.

 

*****

 

Much later the same afternoon, Arnav and Khushi were still in a trance, memories of their passion from the night before keeping them distracted.
A knock on her door brought Khushi back to her senses. Had Arnav come back again? She couldn’t face him again, not now when she had finally completely calmed herself down.

 

“Come… Come in.”

 

Popping his head into her cabin, Akash smiled.

 

“Jijaji, hi! Come in!”

 

Entering Khushi’s office, Akash shut the door behind himself.

 

“How are you Khushi? Had a good evening with bhai?”

 

Gasping at what he was insinuating, Khushi blushed a deep red once more and looked away.

 

“Jijaji!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I won’t tease you. I’m just so glad you guys found your happiness in each other. Any way, bhai sent me to get you to sign some papers. He would have come himself but he can’t trust himself to behave at the moment.”

 

Laughing, Khushi took the papers from Akash and sat down at her desk. Sitting down opposite her, Akash watched as she skim read the top page.

 

“Oh, this is all to do with the New Years fashion show?”

“Yeah. Bhai asked if you could just sign and date all the pages.”

“Sure.”

 

Signing the first page, Khushi skimmed over the next one and signed that too.

After that, she stopped reading the pages and just kept signing and dating all the pages.

 

“Don’t you want to read through it all properly.”

“No it’s alright. Me and Arnav went through all the decisions any way. I trust him to have implicated all my changes accordingly.”

“You trust bhai that much?”

“I’ve trusted him with my heart jijaji, and now I trust him more than I trust myself.”

 

Getting to the last page, Khushi signed it and then handed the file back to Akash.

 

“Thanks Khushi. I’ll just pass these to bhai to get signed and then it’s all done.”

 

Smiling, Khushi nodded and watched as Akash got to his feet and left. Yes, she had trusted Arnav with her heart, she’d completely handed it over to him. And she did trust him more than she trusted herself. She knew he’d never hurt her. She knew he’d always cherish and respect her. Her Arnav loved her, and she loved him, and that’s all that mattered in life.

Jalebi ~ Part 18

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“Khushi! I can’t find my bangles!

“Jiji they’re in the top drawer of your dressing table!”

 

Waiting at the bottom of the stairs, Khushi paused to see if Payal found the bangles herself or if she needed to go up.

 

“Arre haan, I found them, thanks!”

 

Going back to making sure all the decorations were up properly, Khushi went to find a mirror to check herself out. Khushi had been so busy with work and making sure everything was perfect for Payal’s engagement, that she hadn’t really had time for go shopping for an outfit for herself. When she realised she had nothing to wear, she’d just decided on wearing one of her old outfits or she’d take something from one of her Khushiyan ranges, but when Payal’s lengha arrived, Khushi was shocked to find a smaller box for herself. Inside was a simple, pale gold lengha with a note from Arnav.

 

“This is the first major event that we are going to be attending since after becoming a couple. You didn’t expect me to not style my girl did you?”

 

It wasn’t the most romantic note in the world, but Khushi treasured it regardless. The lengha itself was something she’d usually look at and like in a store, but she’d never buy. It was relatively simple, with a flowy bottom but the top was fairly tight and also quite small, just big enough to cover Khushi’s bust. It was a beautiful lengha and Khushi could imagine where Arnav’s mind was going when he picked this out for her and she loved it, but didn’t know how comfortable she felt wearing it around both their families. But if course the outfit came with a large, heavily detailed dupatta which Khushi draped in a way so that she could cover all the exposed skin at the front, without ruining the look of the outfit.

She couldn’t wait for him to see her!

 

*****

 

The Raizada’s arrived and Khushi rushed to the door to greet them. It was during all of the engagement prep that Khushi finally met every single member of the family. She had been nervous to meet the elders of the Raizada family, but it made things a lot easier meeting them as Payal’s sister and Arnav’s business partner. Arnav and Khushi weren’t quite ready to take the dive and let the elders of the family know about their relationship.

Anjali came forward and gave Khushi a hug.

 

“Hi Di!”

“How are you Khushi? You look absolutely stunning today.”

 

Breaking the hug, Khushi looked over her shoulder to find Arnav watching her.

 

“What can I say Di, your brother styled me.”

“Chote? Really?”

 

Nodding, Khushi winked at Anjali who laughed.

 

“But really, you look really beautiful.”

“As do you Di.”

 

Shyam also came over to Khushi, asking her about her general wellbeing.

Finally, Arnav approached Khushi as the Gupta’s ushered the rest of the Raizada’s into their home.

 

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you, I really love this outfit.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“You look really good yourself Arnav.”

“Thanks. Are you parents here?”

“No they haven’t arrived yet, but they are on the road. I’ll introduce them to you as soon as they arrive.”

 

Arnav pulled at his collar and Khushi placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“If you’re not ready to meet them, it’s cool. I’ll invite you over one night and you can meet them at home.”

“No no, I want to meet them and get the awkward stuff over and done with. I also don’t want them to think I’m hiding from them.”

“I still can’t believe you want to face them already.”

“I want them to know that I am serious about you and that my intentions aren’t to just fool around with you.”

 

Taking his hand in her own, Khushi leaned into Arnav, wanting to kiss him.

 

“Are you guys still standing here?”

 

Shyam rushed over to Arnav and Khushi, blocking them from everyone else’s view.

 

“Guys, I know you’re a couple and haven’t spent much time together recently, but now isn’t the time to start getting intimate. Especially if you don’t plan on telling the elders about your relationship just yet.”

 

Moving apart, Arnav put his hand on his brother in laws shoulder.

 

“Thanks jiju. For having our back like this.”

 

Shyam gave them and understanding nod and then went back over to his wife.

 

“We should…”

“Yeah, I need to check on jiji as well.”

 

Moving apart, both Arnav and Khushi headed in their respective directions, away from each other.

 

*****

 

Descending the stairs, all eyes were on the blushing bride to be, but her sister was also attracting a lot of attention. Around Arnav, he could hear aunties asking about Khushi, talking about how she would make a beautiful bride for their sons. It angered Arnav hearing people talk like that, but he knew he didn’t have to worry. Khushi was his.

Khushi helped Payal down the stairs and then led her over to the stage where Akash was waiting. As they reached the foot of the stage, Akash stepped down, took Payal’s hand and helped her up to join him, while Khushi came and stood beside Arnav.

 

“They really do look lovely together don’t they Arnav.”

“They do. But I’m pretty sure we make a better looking couple than they do.”

 

Eyes wide, Khushi looked around to check if anyone heard what he had said or if they had noticed them at all. But no one seemed to be paying attention to anyone other than the couple getting engaged.

Payal and Akash stood on stage, waiting for the right time for the engagement to begin. Everyone spoke amongst themselves, waiting.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

 

“Mama and papa are here!”

 

Rushing away, Khushi went and threw the door open. There stood before her were her parents.

 

“Mom, dad! Finally! I’ve been waiting all day.”

 

Throwing her arms around her parents, Khushi called over a helper to take their bags while she led them into the main living space where all the guests and the rest of the family members were.

Payal descended from the stage and went over to her aunt and uncle and hugged them, before taking their blessings.

 

“Maasi, why are you and Mausaji so late? I was worried you were going to miss my engagement.”

 

Lalita Gupta hugged her niece and placed a kiss on her head.

 

“I wouldn’t miss your engagement for the world my dear. Now where is that mother of yours?”

 

Garima rushed forward, arms open as she embraced her older sister.

 

“Jiji! I’m so glad you and jiju have made it! I was worried jiju wouldn’t come, but dekho, you are both here.”

“Again, our only niece is getting engaged, how could we miss this?”

 

Once the initial hugging was done, Garima and Shashi ushered Lalita and Karan into the house and introduced them to the Raizada’s, starting with the elders and ending with Akash.

Greeting everyone in turn, both of Khushi’s parents eyes were looking for one individual. Arnav stepped forward to touch their feet before introducing himself.

 

“Namaste, I’m Arnav…”

 

Blessing him, both of Khushi’s parents took him in. Arnav felt nervous. Neither were saying anything but there was a silent exchange taking place between them. Khushi too noticed this and couldn’t help but feel nervous.

After what felt like a lifetime, Karan Gupta finally smiled and took Arnav into his arms.

 

“Arnav… We’ve heard so much about you from Khushi, it’s such a treat to finally meet you.”

“I wanted to come and see you and aunty while I was in London, but our plans changed and I had to come back soon after the conference.”

“No matter, no matter, we are meeting now. We are staying with Khushi until the wedding, so please do come by and meet with us when there is more time to sit and talk. I would love to pick at your brains regarding your business and future plans.”

 

What Khushi’s father was implying wasn’t missed by Arnav. It was clear that he wanted to talk to Arnav about what his intentions were regarding him and Khushi.

 

“It’s time for the engagement ceremony to begin.”

 

The attention once more shifted to Payal and Akash as everyone went back to their original positions, waiting around the stage. Arnav took Khushi’s hand just before she left to go stand beside Payal.

 

“I think your parents approve of me.”

 

Blushing, Khushi moved away from Arnav and went to stand beside Payal and handed her the ring so she could place it on Akash’s finger. She couldn’t help but wonder when it would be her turn to have a ring placed on her finger.

 

*****

 

Rings had been exchanged, Payal and Akash were officially engaged. Guests and the family members were all around the new couple, congratulating them on their engagement. Arnav saw this as an opportunity to spend some time with Khushi.

Taking her hand, Arnav dragged Khushi away and into the empty kitchen.

 

“Arnav, what are you doing?”

 

Shutting the door behind them, Arnav moved close to Khushi, putting his hands on her exposed waist.

 

“Did I tell you I think you look god damn gorgeous today?”

“You did…”

“In my opinion, I think you even look better then Payal.”

“Thanks…”

“I’ve missed you Khushi.”

“I’ve missed you too. But we’ve been so busy…”

“And now with the wedding preparations, were going to get even more busy. Plus with your parents staying with you, I won’t even be able to come and spend some time in the evenings with you.”

 

He stepped closer, his body heat making Khushi feel very warm. His hand brushed the dupatta away from her, and he placed it on the side. Raising her arms, Khushi tried to cover her chest. Her breasts may have been covered, but she felt exposed due to the tightness and the smallness of the material.

 

“Don’t feel shy, you look sexy as hell.”

 

He moved closer, one hand still resting on her exposed waist, the other on the side of her neck. He pulled her into himself, causing Khushi to gasp. Arnav took this moment to capture Khushi’s lips between his own. The initial shock melted away and Khushi wrapped her arms around Arnav’s neck, pulling him closer as his hands caused havoc on her exposed skin.

As they stood there in the kitchen, kissing, they both realised how long it had been since they’d been like this. Khushi bit down on Arnav’s lip slightly, causing his lips to part and she took the opportunity to slip her tongue between his lips.

As their tongues duelled for dominance, Arnav ran his hand down Khushi’s exposed spine, causing her to shiver with anticipation. Her hands raised to the top button of his shirt, attempting to unfasten it. Just as Khushi took the top button off, the door, causing them to jump apart. Khushi quickly turned around, grabbing her dupatta off the worktop.

 

“Chote! Really?”

“Di!”

 

Fixing her dupatta, Khushi slowly turned around, keeping her eyes fixed to the ground.
Anjali shut the door behind her and moved towards Arnav, her arms folded across her chest.

 

“Chote, Khushi, I understand that you are a couple and that you are in love, but really, now? Here? At this moment when there’s a houseful of guests? Anyone could have walked in. You’re lucky Nani asked me to bring her water.”

“I’m sorry Di… We haven’t had time to spend together… You know how it is.”

 

Anjali looked at Khushi, who’s eyes were still down as she fiddled with her dupatta, making sure she was properly covered again.

 

“Look, I understand what you two are going through, but you really need to keep yourselves in check. Anyway, it is evident that you’re serious about each other, and seeing as everyone else knows, Chote, I think it’s time you told Nani and mama and mami about your relationship. After all Khushi’s parents know so…”

“No Di, we can’t. The moment we tell Nani, she’ll start planning the wedding. We need more time.”

 

Looking at Khushi, Anjali moved over to her, placed a finger under her chin and gently lifted her face.

 

“Khushi, do you want to wait too, or is that what he wants?”

“I do… I want to wait a bit.”

 

Taking a step back, Anjali nodded.

 

“Okay, fine. I respect your wishes to want to take time, but please. I need you both to be more careful. You have two minutes to finish up what was happening here, and then I want you both outside before someone notices something’s up.”

 

Leaving the kitchen, Khushi hid her face in Arnav’s chest.

 

“That was by far the most uncomfortable moment of my life.”

“It’s only Di.”

“I know, but still. I didn’t want her to see us like that.”

 

Lifting her face, Arnav pressed a kiss on Khushi’s forehead and hugged her.

 

“Let’s go away tomorrow evening.”

“We can’t…”

“We can. We’ll just go to the farmhouse to spend some time together. We haven’t had any time to ourselves and I really miss you.”

“But how can we. My parents…”

“Business trip.”

“We can’t lie…”

“We’re not lying. We’ll go there during the day, do all our work there and then spend the evening there too before heading back.”

 

Taking a moment to consider Arnav’s proposal, Khushi thought about it properly. What he was saying sounded like a good idea. It was true, it had been a very long time since they last spent any time together. This way they would be able to do that without anyone thinking much of it.

 

“Okay… Let’s do it.”

“Great! So, come to the office first thing and then we’ll leave together from there.”

 

Nodding, Khushi placed a quick kiss on Arnav’s cheek before rushing away. Arnav watched as she left, smiling to himself. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

 

*****

 

As Arnav and Khushi rejoined the rest of the family, they saw the elders all sat around together with the pandit.

 

“Khushi, they must be setting the date for the wedding!”

“I still can’t believe that they’re finally getting married. It feels like it was only yesterday when they were first getting together.”

“Time has flown by hasn’t it?”

 

Nodding, they went over to where Akash and Payal were standing. As soon as Payal saw Khushi, her eyes widened.

 

“Khushi, I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything for you.”

 

Leaning in, Payal whispered what she wanted from Khushi.

 

“Oh come on! Really?”

“Please!”

 

Letting out a sigh, Khushi nodded.

 

“Anything for you jiji.”

 

Moving away, Arnav raised his eyebrow as he watched Khushi walk away. What was she up to now?

Suddenly the lights dimmed down, and a spotlight came on, focusing only Khushi. The melodies of a song began to play.

 

“This ones for you jiji and jijaji.”

 

As the song began to play, Khushi began to dance. The guests all cheered her on and clapped.

Everyone watched as she twirled and danced, lip syncing the words as she went along.

While dancing, Khushi couldn’t help thinking about herself and Arnav and how the lyrics also reflected them.

 

*Mere sapno ke khidiki pe aa gaya*

 

It was true, somehow Arnav had arrived at the windows of her dreams. He was in all her dreams, all the time. If she didn’t see him in her dreams, her night felt incomplete.

Continuing to dance, she turned to Arnav, singing to him without making it too obvious. He realised though and couldn’t help but smile.

 

*Hua dil pehli pehli baar re*

 

Never had she felt this way about someone before. Never had she been so in love with anyone and she was sure, she would never love anyone in this manner ever again.

 

*Dhadkano ke paas mein*

 

He was close to her dhadkan, even when they were apart from each other, he had made a space for himself in her heart and she knew that she could never let him get away again.

The song continued and Khushi carried on dancing. Payal placed her hand on Akash’s arm.

 

“This song… That’s how I feel about you.”

 

Smiling, Akash pressed a kiss on the top of Payal’s head, but his eyes remained locked on Khushi and Arnav. Their relationship was getting stronger, he could tell by the way Khushi kept directing certain lines of the song at him and the way he looked at her. If he wanted Khushi’s business, he knew he needed to act fast. If Arnav and Khushi’s relationship peaked, then there would be no way he could take anything of Khushi’s from under Arnav’s nose. He needed to work fast but what should he do? And how?

As the song came to an end, Khushi took a small bow. Anjali walked over to Arnav and gave him a nudge.

 

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I saw all the subliminal messages that Khushi was throwing your way during the performance.”

“Di!”

“I’m just teasing, but honestly Chote, I hope you both always stay this happy.”

“She’s becoming my life Di.”

“Then make sure you keep her close. And I hope no ones evil eye ever falls on your happiness.”

“If you keep praying for us Di, then I know no evil will ever be able to touch us.”

“God bless you and your relationship Chote.”

 

Turning his attention back to Khushi, he watched as people congratulated her on her amazing performance. He couldn’t help but feel proud of his baby. His Khushi, his love. Maybe he was ready to make them official after all. Maybe he needed to give their relationship a real name sooner than he thought.

Jalebi ~ Part 17

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Sat in a cute little coffee shop, Khushi was waiting for Anjali to arrive. She’d been dreading this meeting all week, but Arnav had told her that he really wanted her to meet his Di and that Anjali too really wanted to meet her. Khushi knew just how important Anjali was to Arnav and so felt inclined to meet her, despite how worried she felt. She’d tried to make excuses, mainly using the fact that she would meet all the Raizada’s any way during Payal and Akash’s engagement, but Arnav had made it clear that he wanted Khushi to get to know his sister and for his sister to get to know Khushi as his girlfriend, not just Payal’s cousin and his business partner.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to meet Anjali, it was just that she didn’t want Anjali to be disappointed with her, or disapprove. She felt sick with nerves and was ready to bail when the door of the cafe opened and a tall woman in a pretty pastel pink sari walked in. She had long dark hair which cascaded down her back, and a face with very sharp yet innocent looking features. Khushi recognised her instantly as being Anjali Manohar Jha, Arnav’s sister.

Getting to her feet, Khushi smoothed out her anarkali style kameez that she was wearing and smiled at Anjali. She had decided to wear Indian clothes for a change as she thought it may help to impress his Di. He’d always said how she was all about tradition and rituals. Returning the smile, Anjali walked over to Khushi, her arms outstretched for a hug from a mile away.

 

“Oh my goodness, you’re Khushi aren’t you?”

“I am, namaste Anjali Ji.”

 

Breaking the hug, Anjali took the seat opposite Khushi, her smile wide and genuine.

 

“I can’t even begin to tell you how great it is to finally meet you. I’ve been wanting to meet you since you and Chote went into partnership, but you know how it is, life just keeps getting in the way.”

“It’s so great to finally be able to meet you as well. He talks a lot about you.”

“He talks about you a lot as well! Ever since you guys have merged businesses, he hasn’t stopped talking about the way you work and the way that you run your business. He’s very taken by you.”

 

A waiter came round and asked Khushi and Anjali what they would like, so they placed their order and then went back to their conversation.

 

“You know Khushi, I’ve had a feeling for ages that there’s been someone on his radar but he never admitted it. I was quite shocked when he actually told me about you.”

“I guess maybe he didn’t want to say anything until we were actually headed somewhere. Up until before we went to London, I’d been doing my best to maintain a distance between us so that it wouldn’t cause any issues in our professional relationship.”

“What changed?”

“I’ve been attracted to him for a long time and when we went to London I just couldn’t deny it any more. Probably one of the most reckless decisions I have ever made, but honestly, he makes me really happy and I didn’t want to throw that away.”

“You make him very happy too Khushi. From speaking to him and speaking to you now, it is evident that the way you feel about each other is very strong.”

 

Blushing, Khushi took a sip of her coffee that the waiter has just brought round.

 

“How are the engagement preparations going?”

“Oh they’re going great! Me and Payal were shopping yesterday. How about for you guys?”

“It’s been going well on our side as well. I’ve never seen Akash so excited about anything in his life.”

“Aw that’s so sweet. I really like Akash jiju. I have done since high school. He was so responsible and kind and so easy to talk to.”

“Were you and Chote close in high school?”

 

Memories from her high school day hit her and Khushi couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She remembered the way Arnav and others like him who had always looked down on her, always assumed that she wouldn’t amount to much. She knew she’d taken Arnav by a storm now, but it still hurt a bit knowing that he once thought she wasn’t worthy of getting to know.

 

“No, we were never really in the same groups or anything so I didn’t really know him.”

 

From this point onwards, the conversation went back to the upcoming wedding, with Anjali teasing Khushi that maybe soon she and Arnav would also tie the knot. Khushi simply replied saying that it was still early and that they needed to get to their feet first before thinking about going further.

Their time was nearing its end when Anjali got a text. She turned her phone over, looked at the message, laughed and turned it over again.

 

“That was your deewana. He’s reminding me that I shouldn’t tease you.”

“I’ll make sure to tell him you teased me lots and lots!”

 

Pretending to be taken aback, Anjali’s eyes widened and her hand covered her mouth in shock.

 

“Oh please don’t, he’ll kill me.”

 

Both woman burst out laughing, going back to finish their coffee. When they were both finally done, they got to their feet, preparing to part ways.

 

“Really Khushi, I’m so happy to have finally met you.”

“Same! I will be honest, I was really nervous, but I feel much better now. It was lovely meeting you.”

“I guess I’ll see you next week at the engagement.”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

 

They hugged once more before they went their own ways.

 

*****

 

The moment Anjali returned home, Arnav ambushed her like a child.

 

“Di, Di, Di! You’re back! Tell me everything!”

“Do you want me to tell you in the middle of the hall where everyone can hear us?”

 

Shaking his head, he took his sisters hand and dragged her over to the poolside.

 

“Chote! Stop! What are you doing? You haven’t acted like this since we were kids.”

“You can tease me later Di, just tell me what happened and what you thought of her.”

 

Anjali took in the look on her brothers face. He was so excited, so full of joy and hope. His happiness reminded her of the way he was when they were children.

 

“You want the truth Chote?”

“Yes!”

“I didn’t like her at all. Not one bit. I don’t think you should carry on seeing her Chote.”

 

*****

 

Instead of going to her own apartment, Khushi decided to stop by Payal’s house. She still hadn’t told Payal about her relationship with Arnav and now after meeting Anjali, she wanted to talk to someone. And who better than her jiji.

Engagement preps had began, with all the lights and decorations already up and ready. As she walked in, Khushi was met by Payal who was walking around the house, looking very frantic.

 

“Hey jiji, what’s up?”

“Thank goodness you’re here Khushi! I was going to call you and ask you to come but seems like you read my mind.”

“What’s wrong?”

“My lengha for the engagement hasn’t arrived. What if it doesn’t arrive on time!”

 

Laughing, Khushi took Payal’s hand and led her over to the sofas and sat her down.

 

“I called Arnav regarding it last night and he said that it will be with you tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Arnav is personally overlooking the alteration process so you have nothing to worry about. The lengha will be perfect when it arrives and it’ll be here tomorrow. So rest easy.”

“Oh I feel so much better now. I was seriously worried I wouldn’t get it in time or that it wouldn’t fit and I would have to send it back to AR and it would take longer and…”

“JIJI! Stop! Calm down! You’re rambling on and on and on!”

“I’m getting engaged Khushi. If I don’t get nervous, who will?”

“Are you nervous about the actual engagement or are you nervous about the honeymoon.”

 

Nudging Payal suggestively, Khushi raised her eyebrows as she watched Payal blush.
Hitting Khushi’s arm, Payal laughed.

 

“Besharam!”

“I’m not shameless jiji, I was asking a genuine question.”

“Acha forget all that, tell me, what made you remember me all of a sudden? Usually I have to call you three times before you agree to come.”

 

It was now Khushi’s turn to blush as she thought about all the things she wanted to talk to Payal about.

 

“Let’s go to your room and then I’ll tell you.”

 

*****

 

Arnav looked at his Di, waiting for her to start laughing, to tell him that she was messing with him and that actually she loved Khushi and couldn’t wait for Khushi to one day become a part of the family. But what he was waiting for never came.

 

“You didn’t… You didn’t like her?”

“There’s nothing special about her Chote. Very average, unlike you. I’m sure we could find you a girl ten times the person Khushi is. I felt like she was quite stuck up, up herself a bit because of this little business she has. I don’t like her.”

“But Di…”

“You don’t have my blessings Chote and I want you to end your relationship with her before Akash’s engagement.”

 

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Di didn’t like Khushi, and she wanted him to break it off with her. He couldn’t do that. Not after waiting for almost a year before actually getting her.

 

“I can’t do that Di.”

“Why can’t you? It’s easy, just tell her you don’t feel seriously about her any more and that you don’t want to proceed with your relationship.”

“But that’s a lie! I am serious about her and I do want to be with her. Di… I think I may even be in love with her. If you need to, please meet her again. I can’t let her go Di and I really want you to like her.”

 

Taking in her brothers worried expression and the intensity of his words, Anjali found out what she wanted to know. Placing her hand on her brothers shoulder, she turned his head to her.

 

“I was joking Chote, I wanted to check this is what you really, really wanted. I have no issues with her. In fact I think she’s perfect for you, I don’t think I could have selected someone more worthy for you even if I tried.”

“So you liked her?”

“Of course I did! What is there not to like? She’s soft spoken, kind, attentive, cultured and most importantly she really cares about you. What more could I possibly want from a girl for you?”

 

Arnav let out his breath that he’d been holding and hugged his Di.

 

“You scared me! I really thought you didn’t approve and I would have to break up with her.”

“Would you have really let her go if I said I didn’t like her?”

“You know I would! I’d do anything for you Di.”

 

Touched at her brothers words, Anjali blessed him with all the happiness in the world. She really couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of that than her Chote.

 

*****

 

“Khushi, will you tell me what’s up? You’ve been pacing for the last 10 minutes and you’re starting to scare me.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you but promise me you won’t freak out.”

“I promise.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Khushi sat down beside Payal.

 

“I… There’s… I’m seeing someone.”

“You are?! Who? Since when?”

“It’s… I… Arnav.”

“Arnav? As in Arnav Singh Raizada? As in Akash’s cousin? My jetji to be? Your business partner?”

“Yes jiji. You didn’t need to mention all of those, but yes, that Arnav.”

“But I thought you were going to stay away from him because you didn’t want anything to come between you and your business.”

“I know, but things have been happened between us for a long time and I’ve tried denying my feelings for him, pushing them away, but when we went to London… I just couldn’t do it any more. I couldn’t resist. I think I really love him jiji. At first I just thought it was attraction and then… I don’t know what happened.”

“All I want to know is, Khushi does he make you really really happy?”

“He does jiji.”

“Then you have my blessings. If he makes you really happy and you really want to be with him. Then just be with him. Sometimes it may get complicated because of the whole business partners thing, but I don’t know anyone smarter than the two of you, so I know you’ll be able to keep a balance and make things work out.”

 

Exhaling, Khushi rushed over to Payal and gave her a big hug. She always knew her sister would be supportive but she hadn’t fathomed that Payal would accept hers and Arnav’s relationship just like that.

She couldn’t believe her luck. So far everyone was happy with her relationship with Arnav, and everyone who knew so far were the ones who were most important to her. Not wanting to jinx it, Khushi prayed that her happiness remain this way and she hoped that this meant that her and Arnav’s relationship would sail smoothly now.

After all, what could go wrong now?

Jalebi ~ Part 15

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Arnav’s jet landed in Delhi and he was ready to get off and get home as soon as he could. The last couple of days had been so strange, so unexpected, yet had been so good. Taking his phone out of his pocket, Arnav realised he had no calls or texts from Khushi. Feeling slightly disheartened, Arnav put his phone away, made sure he had his luggage and got into the car that was waiting for him.

 

*****

 

“Arre Chote? What are you doing back?”

“I called my trip short Di. Something important came up.”

 

Anjali looked at her brother. He looked tired and she could tell he was slightly distracted. But she knew that if she pressed the matter, she wouldn’t get a response, he’d never tell her what was really on his mind. Not unless he was ready to tell her and it was evident that he wasn’t.

 

“You go and freshen up, I’ll get some food ready for you.”

“There’s no need Di, I ate on the way here, I’m not hungry.”

“Chote…”

“Please Di, I just want to be left alone.”

 

Leaving his Di hanging, Arnav went off to his room, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t know why he was feeling so angry. When he’d left Khushi, he had felt fine, but on the way here… The more he thought about what had happened, the more he realised he shouldn’t have left. Was she running away from him? Was she trying to run away from what had happened between them? What was going through her head?

He knew that he shouldn’t be reacting like this, not until she actually said something. And he definitely shouldn’t have reacted with Di, but he didn’t know what was going on in Khushi’s head. They had parted on a good note, things had seemed to be going the right way, then why in his heart did something feel wrong?

Picking up his phone, Arnav dialled Khushi’s number, only to find her phone was unreachable.

 

“Dammit!”

 

Throwing his phone aside, Arnav went into the bathroom to freshen up. Maybe a bath would help him to clear his mind.

 

*****

 

Sitting on the edge of the grand bed, Khushi touched the sheets and smiled. Memories of her passionate night with Arnav came back to her. She remembered the way he had touched her, the way he’d kissed her skin, the way his rough hands felt against her sensitive skin. She recalled the way it had felt to have him within her, the way he made her feel so… So complete… He’d made her feel so much and she couldn’t help but want more.

But she knew what she needed to do before she further committed herself to this relationship with Arnav, she needed to talk to her parents…

 

*****

 

“Bhai? You’re back already?”

 

Walking into the in house bar, Akash took a seat next to Arnav, who had a glass of vodka in his hand.

 

“What’s up bhai?”

“What makes you think that something is up.”

“You’re sat in the dark, drinking vodka on your own when you’re meant to be away on a trip in London.”

“Plans change.”

 

Taking the glass out of Arnav’s hand, Akash set it aside, and placed his hand on his brothers shoulder.

 

“Tell me, what happened?”

“I slept with her.”

“With who?”

“With Khushi obviously!”

 

Eyes wide, Akash took in what Arnav was saying. He’d slept with Khushi? His business partner? The woman whose business they were trying to steal?

 

“What the hell? How?”

“You realised it a long time ago that I was interested in her. And I was interested in her. Well turns out she was interested in me too.”

“So what’s the issue? If you both are interested in each other and if you spent the night together, why are you here? Surely you should be with her, making the most of the time alone.”

“She told me to come home Akash. She said she needed time to think about things but she said things between us would be okay. But look, it’s been so long and she hasn’t even sent me a text to ask if I got back okay. It’s been radio silence from her the moment I left.”

 

Taking in what Arnav was saying, Akash felt alarm bells go off in his head. Arnav and Khushi… They were interested in each other. His brother was hung up over the fact that she hadn’t called him in a couple of hours. This was going to complicate things.

 

“Bhai, do you think… Do you think you’re in love with her?”

 

Arnav looked up, his eyes sad.

 

“I know I’m in love with her.”

“But how is that going to work with the business and…”

“We’re both adults, we can keep our personal and private lives separate.”

“But bhai, we wanted to take her business.”

“Akash, I told you ages ago, we can’t. I don’t want to. I never wanted to. And now I definitely don’t want to. Please Akash. Drop this. God has given us so much, we can’t take her business away from her.”

 

It was evident that Arnav was completely taken by this girl. He wasn’t going to let Akash succeed in his plans and Akash knew that he needed to change his game.

 

“Okay, fine, we won’t try to steal her business. But I can still tell you’re feeling uneasy about something.”

“I think I just need some sleep.”

 

With that, Arnav got to his feet, bid Akash goodnight and made his way back to his bedroom. He felt slightly at ease knowing that Akash wasn’t going to do anything underhand regarding Khushi’s business, but Arnav still felt tense. He didn’t know why, but he knew something wasn’t right. Or maybe it was his heart was telling him that something bad was coming? Either way, he knew that he needed to remain vigilant. Nothing could go wrong. He wouldn’t allow it.

 

*****

 

A few days had passed and Khushi was still in London. She and Arnav had spoken on the phone a couple of times and they had texted numerous times. She kept reassuring Arnav that she didn’t regret what happened between them and that she loved him, but Arnav still felt uneasy. It didn’t make sense, but he knew something was off. But what?

 

*****

 

“Papa! I’m home!”

 

Walking into the living room, Khushi announced her entry with her arms wide open.

She’d already greeted her mother at the door and was now looking for her dad.

 

“Arre here comes my little princess.”

 

Karan Kumar Gupta opened his arms and embraced his daughter.

 

“What took you so long? You should’ve come to see your old dad as soon as you got back to England.”

“I know dad, I wanted to, but I had meetings and I needed to go to the office and there was so much work that needed sorting. I’ve barely had time to eat.”

“Lalita, are you hearing this. Our girl has been so busy she hasn’t even been eating properly.”

 

Laughing, Khushi’s mother came and sat down next to her.

 

“It’s a good thing I cooked all of Khushi’s favourite dishes then. I’ll go and get them ready right now.”

“I’ll come with you Ma.”

“No beta, you sit and talk with your dad.”

 

Leaving father and daughter to catch up, Lalita went into the kitchen to prepare the food. She could sense that her daughter needed to talk to her father about something. Call it a mother’s intuition, but she could tell. She didn’t want to disturb them.

Watching her mother leave, Khushi turned to her father, her hands knotted in her lap. She needed to tell her dad about Arnav but she didn’t know how he’d take it. What if he reacted badly and said that she needed to end it with Arnav?

 

“Woh, papa, I need to talk to you about something.”

 

Karan looked at his daughter and he could feel the tension emitting from her body.

 

“What’s wrong?”

“Papa… You know…”

 

Placing an arm around his daughter, Karan reassured Khushi that she had nothing to worry about. Taking a deep breath, Khushi began speaking.

 

“You know how you have always said that me and Rohan would one day get married, what if one of us doesn’t want to marry the other?”

 

Looking up at her father, Khushi saw that the question threw him off guard. He wasn’t expecting Khushi to ever say something like this and she knew that. She and Rohan had been brought up to believe that they were only going to marry each other, there was no other option.

 

“Has something happened between you and Rohan?

“No…”

“Has he said or done something to hurt you?”

“No papa…”

“Then why are you asking this question beta?”

“I just… I’m curious.”

“There’s a lot riding on you marrying Rohan, for both families. Promises were made many, many years ago…”

“But what if…”

“What if kya?”

“What if one of us falls in love with someone else.”

 

Karan got to his feet, leaving Khushi on the couch. Khushi realised that this wasn’t going to go well. She should have known. All her life she was told about Rohan, yet here she was, trying to tell her dad she was in love with another man.

 

“Who is it?”

“Who is what?”

“Who is the one that you’re in love with.”

 

Shock took over Khushi’s body. How did her dad know it was her that was in love with someone else? But then she remembered. Her dad always knew.

 

“Arnav Singh Raizada.”

“Your business partner?”

“Jee papa.”

“How long?”

“I… I’ve had feelings for him for a long time, but I’ve never acted on my feelings, not until we came here earlier this week.”

 

Turning back to face his daughter, Karan smiled his widest smile and came back and sat next to his daughter.

 

“Does he feel the same way about you?”

 

Looking away, Khushi blushed as she remembered her passionate night with Arnav. The way he’d caressed her body, the way he’d whispered how much he loved her.

 

“Jee papa.”

“Lalita! Come here quick!”

 

Running back into the living room, Khushi’s mother looked panicked. She looked at her daughter who looked as pale as a ghost and then at her husband who was beaming like a 100 watt bulb.

 

“What happened?”

“Our baby has fallen in love.”

 

Looking at her daughter, Lalita’s eyes widened.

 

“What?”

“You know Arnav, her business partner. She’s in love with him and he’s in love with her! Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I tell you when we saw the merger party pictures that there was something between them! I told you!”

 

Hearing this, Khushi looked up.

 

“Wait? You knew…”

“We saw pictures of you two. The way you were looking at each other, it was undeniable there was something between the two of you. There have been rumours for months.”

“But papa, don’t you have any issues?”

“Why would I? You have fallen in love with a very capable man, one who I am sure loves you dearly otherwise you’d never risk your business.”

“Am I making the right decision?”

“What is your heart saying Khushi?”

“My heart wants this…”

 

Blushing, Khushi realised she couldn’t say any more, not to her parents any way. But they knew what she was trying to say and she watched as they embraced each other.

 

“But mama, papa, what about Rohan’s family.”

“You don’t worry about them, I will talk to them, I will sort it all, don’t worry.”

“But the promises…”

“Rohan’s parents are good people, they will understand. You can’t help who you fall in love with, they will understand.”

 

Feeling a whole lot of weight get off her shoulders, Khushi finally smiled. A real smile. One that showed she was at peace. They ended this conversation here and they all went to the dining room to have their dinner.

During dinner, Khushi felt her phone vibrate, signifying that she had a call and she couldn’t help but feel a blush come on. It was definitely Arnav. Her dad realised this and told Khushi to go into the kitchen and take the call.

Answering the phone, Khushi walked into the kitchen, her cheeks still bright red.

 

“Hello?”

“Khushi?”

“Arnav… Hi. I was going to call you as soon as I got back to the hotel.”

“Are you okay?”

 

Looking around, Khushi made sure that her parents weren’t around, or that they wouldn’t be able to hear her.

 

“Woh, I told my parents about us today.”

 

This caught Arnav off guard. He didn’t realise that Khushi was going to tell her parents about them just yet. He felt himself start to sweat slightly. He was aware of Khushi and Rohan’s relationship, knew that her family wanted her to marry Rohan. What if they said they couldn’t accept her relationship with Arnav? What would he do? He’d only just got her, he couldn’t lose her.

 

“What did they say?”

“They accept our relationship Arnav!”

“What?”

“Haan! Papa said that he had a feeling about us all along and he couldn’t be happier that I found someone like you!”

“You are speaking the truth aren’t you Khushi?”

“Really Arnav! I am!”

“Oh my god. Oh my… I love you Khushi! I can’t believe…”

“I’m coming back to India tomorrow. Arnav… Will you come and collect me from the airport?”

 

Arnav couldn’t believe it. She was coming back! She was coming back to him! Tomorrow! Her parents approved! Arnav let out a breath that he didn’t even realise that he was holding and ran his hand through his hair.

 

“I can’t believe we can finally be together. A proper couple.”

“I can’t either. I love you so much Arnav. Tomorrow can’t come sooner.”

Fifty Shades Of Raiada ~ Part 20 ~ Last Part

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The day of Arnav and Khushi’s sangeet had finally arrived. Arnav, who up until very recently didn’t believe in marriage at all, didn’t really want to have to go through with all the rituals, and even if he did have to go through with them, he didn’t want to have to do it in the presence of a large audience. But being Arnav Singh Raizada, it meant that whether he liked it or not, his marriage would be a big deal.

So to Arnav’s dismay, every function so far had been a very big and public affair. But he could tell that Khushi was enjoying it. She didn’t generally like all the attention that was on her, but she loved all the functions and for her sake, he was trying his best to enjoy them too.

Today was the sangeet, and this was by far the ceremony he was looking forward to least. For the past week, the Raizada’s and Gupta’s had been getting together to practise for the sangeet. Now this was something he didn’t understand. They wanted each performance to seem spontaneous and unplanned, yet they were planned down to the t. To his displeasure, Arnav was made aware that he would have to partake in the performances. But even though quite a few people had been invited to the sangeet, compared to the other ceremonies, it was relatively small, so he was glad that there wouldn’t be much of an audience.

 

*****

 

Sat right in front of the area that had been marked off as the performance area, Arnav sat with his hand clasped in Khushi’s.

As the evening went on, their family members all did little performances for them. Arnav found some to be slightly cringy, however on the whole their families and friends had made a grand effort for them and he appreciated that. He especially liked Lavanya and NKs perform to Desi Girl. He’d enjoyed because he loved how fitting the song actually was to his and Khushi’s relationship. She was his Desi Girl and she had rocked his world in more ways than one.

Soon enough, it was time for the performance he had been dreading. It was a dance off between the boys and the girls. On the boys team, it was himself, Akash, Shyam and NK, while on the girls team, they had Khushi, Anjali, Payal and Lavanya.

As they all took their places, the music started up.

 

This was a number that Khushi found from somewhere, and was adamant that they did the dance off to this song. He couldn’t help but see why she had chosen the song. She had taken a risk by choosing to come back to him and due to that she knew she’d always be his queen.

The girls danced around their respective partners, while the boys tried to carry out their dance moves. It was evident that the girls were now improvising and it was throwing the boys off, making them forget what they were meant to be doing. It didn’t take long for the boys to completely forget and for the girls to win.

 

“We won! We won!”

 

The girls rejoiced while the boys sulked. Everyone took their seats once more while Anjali took to the microphone.

 

“Now we have a special performance from the bride for her groom.”

 

Arnav looked up at this point. He hadn’t been aware that Khushi was going to do her own piece. The lights dimmed down and a spot light came on, focusing on Khushi.

 

 

“Bole churiya… Bole kangana…”

 

Arnav felt a smile spread across his lips. He couldn’t help it. Something about her performing this song for him did something inside him. He was well aware of the lyrics, well aware of what they meant and he realised what she was trying to show him.

As Khushi danced, everyone watched her in awe before other girls and danced behind her. Khushi danced around Arnav, clicking her bangles together, coming as close to him as she could without it seeming inappropriate.

Arnav knew when the male part of the song was coming, and so braced himself. He was going to do this for his Khushi.

When the male parts came, Arnav gave his best performance shocking everyone. But once he got into the performance, he too began to enjoy it. Then Khushi’s lines came back again and he took in all the words she was performing it.

 

“Hai hai main marjawa marjawa tere bin… ab tho meri raath kat thi thaare gin gin…”

“Aake mere dunya mein vaapas na jaana…”

 

It was obvious why she had picked this song. It was obvious what she was trying to tell him. And he understood every word of what the song was saying.

The Raizada’s and the Gupta’s also joined in and everyone danced together with and around Arnav and Khushi.

It was a happy night that came to a happy closing.

 

*****

 

As seasons changed and time went on, a year passed since Arnav and Khushi had gotten married.

Things had been going very well. For a while, Khushi had been worried that what she could give Arnav wouldn’t be enough, that he would start missing his old way of life. But it seemed that he really had turned over a new leaf for her. There had been no mention of the playroom since they had gotten married, he hadn’t even hinted at it. It seemed as they were well and truly past that phase of their life.

One evening, Arnav had been working out of town and had told Khushi that due to bad weather, he would stay at his penthouse apartment. Khushi decided that she too would join him, after all there was nothing else for her to do. So despite the bad weather, she made her way to the penthouse apartment.

Once arriving at the penthouse, she checked their bedroom to see if he was in there, he wasn’t. Walking through the apartment, Arnav wasn’t anywhere to be found, so she started making her way up the stairs. Maybe he was in the upstairs office.

The room which had for 5 months been her bedroom, was now Arnav’s extra office space.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw a woman leaving the playroom. Stopping dead in her tracks, Khushi glared at the woman, who looked startled to see Khushi there.

 

“What the hell? Who are you?”

 

Feeling her blood running cold, Khushi started feeling light headed. What was another woman doing in their home? What was another woman doing coming out of the playroom? Surely Arnav didn’t… He wouldn’t?! Would he?

Before Khushi could think any more, Arnav too walked out of the playroom. Seeing Khushi stood there, he stopped.

 

“Khushi… Woh… Ishaani, thanks for your assistance, I’ll be in touch with you very soon.”

 

The woman nodded and walked past Khushi, giving her a small smile as she left.

 

“Arnav…”

 

She stopped, making sure that the other woman was gone. When she heard the doors of the elevator clang shut, she let it all out.

 

“WHAT THE HELL ARNAV? What the hell is going on here?”

“I swear it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Arnav have you been… I refuse to believe that you have but… Have you been using the playroom with other women? HOW COULD YOU?”

 

Arnav walked towards Khushi, his hand outstretched. Khushi moved back, stepping away from him. She couldn’t believe this. Had he really not changed? Had he just found someone else to… UGH.

 

“Khushi, listen to me.”

 

Shaking her head angrily, Khushi could feel the tears prickling her eyes. Arnav realised that Khushi wasn’t going to hear him out, so he took her by the wrist and led her over to the playroom. Khushi struggled against his hold, wanting to pull away, but Arnav was much stronger than she would ever.

Pushing the door open of the playroom, he pulled Khushi inside. Once inside, Khushi’s eyes widened as she looked around the room. It was completely empty and had been painted. The old dark walls were gone, and the room was now a plain white.

 

“What…”

“If you heard me out I would have explained myself. I got rid of all the equipment that was in here a while back, and I want us to move into the penthouse. For this to be our permanent home. But before we could do that I needed to change some things around.”

“That woman…”

“She’s an interior decorator! I wanted her to check out all the bedrooms upstairs, so that she could look at the sizes. Then she would be able to give us a good indication as to which room we should use for what purpose.”

“I don’t…”

“When I’ve been coming here, it’s because I’ve been trying to get the planning of the renovations sorted. I’ve decided that I don’t want our bedroom to be downstairs any more, I want our bedroom to be upstairs and to turn our current bedroom into either a gym or a study. Ishaani is helping me to decide which of these rooms would be suitable for our bedroom, etc etc.”

 

Finally understanding what was going on, Khushi let out the breath that she was holding and rushed into Arnav’s arms.

 

“I’m so sorry! I assumed… God I… I’m so sorry Arnav, please forgive me. I’m such a horrid wife. I thought you were… Oh god, I can’t believe I actually thought…”

“No I’m sorry, I should’ve just told you what I’ve been doing here. I just wanted to surprise you…”

“I’m so sorry…”

 

Cupping Khushi’s face, Arnav placed a light kiss on her lips before pulling away again.

 

“When I got you back into my life, I said that I would never do anything that you didn’t like. You wanted me to change the way I lived my life and for you I did. We both know that wasn’t an easy transition, but I did it, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m content with the relationship we share and I would never, EVER, seek pleasure of any kind from another woman.”

“I know…”

“I belong to you. Only you Khushi and nothing is about to change that.”

“I love you so much Arnav. Again I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay, I can understand. That was a big part of my life, I can understand what was going through your head. But now you see, this room doesn’t exist, this part of my life is gone. I don’t need it any more and I don’t miss it either.”

 

Looking around the room, she took in the emptiness again. He was right, that part of him was all gone. Now they had an empty room, a blank canvas, an opening to start a new chapter in their lives.

 

*****

 

Walking up the stairs, Khushi couldn’t believe that it was hers and Arnav’s third anniversary tomorrow! Time had flown by. It still felt as though they had only gotten married yesterday, but somehow three years had passed.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Khushi made her way down the long corridor and stopped in front of the last door at the end of the corridor. The door to the playroom.

Pushing the door open, Khushi couldn’t help but smile at the sight before her.

 

Arnav was laying on the floor with their little 10 month old Aarav by his side. They were both looking up at the ceiling, watching the projections of the stars moving from one side to another.

Little Aarav kicked his little legs and laughed as the colours of the stars changed, while Arnav just lay there, arms tucked behind his head, staring up at the stars.

The room which she had once loathed, the room which she had once been afraid of to an extent, was now her favourite room in their home.

When Arnav and Khushi had found out that they were expecting a baby, Arnav set to work right away, buying furniture for the nursery and toys. He brought so many toys for their baby that half of them didn’t fit in the nursery any more. It was then that they decided that they would give their baby a play room. A room where the baby would have all his or her toys. It just so happened that this was the only room that was still empty, that didn’t have a purpose for it. Arnav had said that he didn’t mind redecorating again, moving his office into here so the baby’s playroom wouldn’t be in this room, but Khushi no longer minded. That chapter of their lives was long over, it was a distant memory, it didn’t bother her anymore.

She couldn’t believe how far they had come in their relationship. There had once been a time when Arnav didn’t believe in marriage, when Arnav hadn’t even believed in love. When he didn’t believe in the idea of love making. Now he was a tender lover, someone who handled her with great care, who whispered words of love in her ears every time he came near her. Now he was the father of her baby, a baby who was conceived out of love and passion.

When Khushi found out that she was pregnant, she had been a little nervous about what Arnav would say and how he would react. They had talked about children, and they were planning a child in the near future, but Khushi hadn’t thought she would fall pregnant so soon after coming off her birth control. She got pregnant almost immediately after and had been worried Arnav would react badly because it was all happening so soon.

But he had been ecstatic, happier than she had been when she first realised she was pregnant. He went out that very day and spent hundreds and hundreds buying things for their baby.

From the moment Aarav had arrived in their lives, Arnav’s priorities switched completely. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his baby. Work was forgotten about for an extended periods of time. At night, if Aarav started to cry whilst they were making love, Arnav would be out of bed faster than anything and he would be there to sooth his son. At times, it seemed as though Arnav forgot about her completely, and this wasn’t something she minded. It filled her heart to see her boys together.

Leaning against the doorframe, Khushi watched as Arnav tucked their son into his arms and placed a kiss on his forehead.

Of all the shades of Raizada that she had seen, this most definitely was her favourite.

 

*The End*

Fifty Shades of Raizada ~ Part 19

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“Arnav stop.”

 

Pushing him away from herself, Khushi got to her feet and sorted the straps of her dress out.

It had been 2 months since they’d found each other again and things were going well. Arnav had said that he cared about her enough to give up his previous ways, that he was ready to try and have a relationship with her that she approved of. He was letting her lead the way and Khushi had told Arnav that she wanted to get to know him properly and that she wanted him to get to know her properly. This meant that they went out on date nights like normal couples. They went to restaurants and cinemas, spent time together in public places instead of being locked away. Khushi was happy with the way things were going. She’d gotten to know about the little things that Arnav liked and disliked and she was happy that he too was taking an interest in finding out little things about her too.

Arnav on the other hand wasn’t as happy as Khushi. He was happy that he had Khushi back in his life, but he was deprived. He hadn’t gone so long without utilising the playroom. And Khushi was refraining from any kind of sexual relations until they really got things sorted. Maybe if they were getting intimate then he wouldn’t be so frustrated. But again, he didn’t want to complain, he was just glad that he had Khushi back in his life.

 

“Khushi can’t we…”

“No. We can’t. I know you’re finding this hard, but Arnav, you respecting my wishes just shows me that you really do care for me and you really do want to make this work.”

 

Getting off the bed, he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“I’d do anything for you. Hell, I’m already doing so much more than I’d ever thought I’d do for a woman. I can’t believe I’m actually going to these therapy sessions for you.”

 

Placing a light kiss on his cheek, Khushi smiled.

 

“You doing all this is showing me how much you actually want me. I know now that I really do mean more to you than just you wanting me to be your submissive.”

 

Wrapping his arm around her, Arnav placed a kiss on Khushi’s forehead. It was hard, completely changing his lifestyle for her, but gradually he could feel himself changing.
Before, if he wasn’t using the playroom at least once every week, he’d be in a horrid mood for the rest of the week. Now, he hadn’t used the room in over 7 months and he wasn’t craving it the way he used to. He was craving Khushi, not the room and what he did in the room. If Khushi would just let him have sex with her now, he would be content. He didn’t feel like he needed to room any more for pleasure.

Arnav had also started going to therapy sessions. Khushi had insisted that they would do him good, that they would help him to resolve issues that he had within himself. He had been reluctant at first, had refused, but under duress he went to the first one. He had found it helpful to talk to someone who understand what he had gone through and who understood what he was going through. The sessions were helping him more than he would like to admit, but he was glad that Khushi was making him go to them.

 

*****

 

Pulling up in front of Khushi and Lavanya’s apartment, Arnav took his key out of the ignition.

 

“So… I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to see Di and everyone else at Shantivan tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry it’s last minute, Di only called me last night and forgot to tell you earlier.”

“What time tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow evening.”

“Okay.”

 

Leaning over, Arnav pressed a kiss onto Khushi cheek before moving back. But Khushi caught him by the sleeve and moved her face closer to his.

 

“Just a kiss on the cheek? Mr Raizada, I think you’re losing your touch.”

 

Moving into him, Khushi pressed her lips between his and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Arnav placed his hands on Khushi’s waist, bringing her closer to himself. So close that her breasts brushed against his chest.

Lips parted, they let their tongues meet, caressing each other’s. Arnav’s hands moved up to her neck and then down again over her breasts.

Arnav shifted in his seat to get closer to Khushi, but his elbow hit the horn of the car. The loud sound of the horn made them jerk apart and look around. Laughing at what just happened, Khushi loved back slightly while Arnav ran his hand down her cheek before sighing and moving away.

 

“I’ll come and pick you up tomorrow evening.”

 

Placing a quick kiss on his cheek before she left the the car, Khushi nodded, signifying that she would be ready for him to pick her up.

Once out of the car, Khushi stood on the sidewalk and watched Arnav pull off. Turning around, she made her way up to her apartment.

As soon as Khushi opened the door, she was faced by Lavanya who stood there with her arms folded across her chest.

 

“Hi.”

“Do you hi me Khushi. What the hell is going on?”

“What do you mean? Nothing is going on!”

“Khushi, don’t you dare lie to me. You’re seeing Arnav again.”

“You knew I was seeing him again?”

“I knew that you were meeting with him, I didn’t realise you were in a relationship with him again. And I guess I wouldn’t have found out if you weren’t being idiots and fooling around in the front of the car. Which by the way is the stupidest thing ever. Didn’t anyone ever teach either of you that you don’t fool around in the front of the car, you take it to the backseat.”

“We weren’t fooling around, we just kissed and then the stupid horn went off.”

“But why are you kissing him at all?”

“La…”

 

Brushing past Lavanya, Khushi entered the main living space, put her bag down and then made her way into the kitchen to find some food. La followed her.

 

“Khushi, I don’t know what went down between you two before that made you break up, but those 6 months were killer. I’ve known you for so long, but seeing you those 6 months almost killed me.”

“Then you know that being with him matters to me.”

“I get that! I really do! But that night when you came home after the break up, you were broken beyond anything Khushi.”

“I know, I was… But… I don’t know how to explain it… I love him La, I really do. Initially, I probably shouldn’t have loved him, but now, over the last 2 months, he’s changed so much for me. For me La! For little me!”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I don’t think I will get hurt. And if he does hurt me again, I give you full permission to go and cut him up like you threatened to do the first time.”

 

Pouring herself a glass of orange juice, Khushi took a sip.

 

“Are you sleeping with him again?”

 

Spitting out the sip of juice that she’d just taken, Khushi looked at La with wide eyes.

 

“What the hell?”

“It’s a genuine question, are you sleeping with him again?”

“You can’t ask me that, that’s personal.”

“Oh please Khushi. When has anything been a secret between us. Just tell me.”

“Laaaaa…”

“Khushi! Just answer the question.”

“No, I’m not. We haven’t… Not since we’ve got back together, we haven’t.”

“Keep it that way. Until you know for definite that things are going to work out for the long run.”

“Okay baba, I won’t get intimate with him like that until things are 100% going the right way? Happy now? Can we end this super awkward conversation?”

 

Satisfied with the answer that she had received from Khushi, Lavanya nodded and went back into the living room. Lavanya had always been much more open about her sex life, but Khushi found it slightly awkward and didn’t like answering questions like that. But she knew Lavanya cared about her, hence why she was questioning her like that. She couldn’t help but feel grateful for her friend, who always had her back, no matter what.

Picking up her food, Khushi too went into the living room and sat down beside Lavanya, who was watching tv.

 

“Is NK going to come round tomorrow night?”

“I don’t know, maybe? Why?”

“Arnav invited me to Shantivan. I wanted to make sure that you’ll have company, otherwise I won’t go.”

“We don’t have plans but I’ll ask him. It’s all this wedding prep, he’s always so busy doing one thing or other. This is why I just wanted to elope.”

 

Laughing, Khushi shook her head. As long as she had known Lavanya, La had always said that when she got married, she didn’t want a big ceremony with lots of rituals. That she’d happily just elope. But now the time had come, to Lavanya’s distaste, NK was one of those people who did want a big wedding with lots of rituals. Khushi was totally convinced that if Lavanya wasn’t completely in love with NK, then she would have called the wedding off entirely.

 

“I can’t believe you’re getting married soon. I always thought I would get married before you.”

“I honestly thought the same Khushi, but looks like life played a different game with us.”

 

When Lavanya and NK had told Khushi that they were going to get married, Khushi had been ecstatic. She was so happy that her friends had found love and that they were ready to spend the rest of their lives together.

Of course, behind the scenes Khushi had felt very disheartened. This was due to the fact that her best friend was going to get married and was going to leave her, and she would remain here on her own, no sign of any change in the future. But now she felt a lot happier. La was going to get married to the man of her dreams, and Khushi had Arnav back. Arnav who was willing to change himself so that they could stay together. Maybe things were going to work out.

 

*****

 

“Khushi! It’s so good to see you again!”

 

Anjali threw her arms around Khushi and pulled her into a big hug. During their relationship, she had only come back to the Raizada house twice with Arnav and after they broke up she had lost touch with them completely. But right now, it felt so good to be back again.

 

“I’m so glad you and Chote worked things out, I really think you are perfect for Chote and our family.”

 

Blushing, Khushi looked between Arnav and Anjali before looking down.

 

“All love for Khushi, what about me Di? If you’re like this before I’ve even married her, what are you doing to be like after marriage?”

 

Arnav’s words made her look up. Marriage. He was talking about marriage as though it was something that was round the corner, something that he had actually been thinking about. He was speaking about it so casually, so comfortable. Surely he hadn’t… But maybe… Maybe he had?

 

“Di, where’s Nani? I need to talk to her about something.”

“She’s in her room. Both of you go up to see her and then Khushi come back down! There’s something I want to show you!”

 

Nodding, Khushi followed Arnav up to his Nani’s room.

 

*****

 

Anjali and Payal were showing Khushi lots of different colour samples for the living room when Arnav and Nani came downstairs.

 

“Can I have everyone’s attention please?”

 

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Arnav.

 

“What’s the matter Chote?”

 

Sweeping his gaze of Khushi and the Raizada’s, Arnav braced himself for what he was about to say.

 

“As you all know, for the longest time, I didn’t believe in the institution of marriage. Hell, I didn’t even believe in love. I didn’t believe that love actually existed. But since meeting Khushi… My life has changed in more ways than one. You all have noticed it, and I will confirm it, Khushi has changed me. For better, or for worse, she’s changed me completely.

I’m not going to hide the truth from you guys because you all know anyway, but me and Khushi did break up. I messed up, fucked up on a major scale and I hurt Khushi in a way I can’t believe I hurt her. But despite all that, she’s here, with me, willing to give me another chance and I don’t want to let her go. So…”

 

Arnav walked over to Khushi, took her by the hand and made her get up from the sofa, before he dipped down onto one knee himself. Khushi’s eyes widened as she looked down at him, and Anjali and Payal both gasped, realising what was happening.

 

“Khushi Kumari Gupta, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife. I know I’m not perfect and I know I have a long way to go before I become the perfect man for you, but I promise you… I promise I will become that man. So will you? Will you marry me?”

 

Hand over her mouth and tears falling from her eyes, Khushi couldn’t believe this was happening. Arnav pulling out a ring box from his pocket and opened it up, revealing a yellow gold ring with a blue diamond in it.

This was a dream! Surely it was a dream! Arnav wasn’t actually on his knee in front of her. He couldn’t be! This wasn’t her Arnav, not the Arnav she knew.

 

“Will you marry me baby?”

 

Tears fell from her eyes thick and fast. She felt choked up due to emotions and couldn’t form any words, so simply nodded.

 

“Y… Ye… I… I… Yes… I will…”

 

Getting off his knee, Arnav slipped the ring onto Khushi’s finger before pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head.

The Raizada’s all got to their feet and clapped and cheered for the newly engaged couple.

Pulling apart, Khushi looked at the ring on her finger. It was definitely not a new design ring, but it was a classic and she loved it.

 

“Chote, isn’t that Mama’s engagement ring?”

“Haan Di, it is. Nani had it and I wanted to ask Nani if I could give it to Khushi.”

 

Gasping, Khushi looked at the ring on her finger. It had been Arnav’s mother’s. No wonder it was such a classic piece.

Nani came over to Khushi and Khushi took Nani’s blessings.

 

“God bless you my child. When Chote called me last night to ask if he could give you his Ma’a engagement ring, I was overjoyed. My daughter had always said that she would give her daughter in law her engagement ring. She may not be here herself to give you this ring, but Khushi, I am sure she is watching from above, more than happy that Chote has picked you to be his bride. This isn’t just your late mother in laws ring Khushi, this is her blessing to you.”

“It’s beautiful. I love it!”

“You know Bitya, Chote has already spoken to your parents as well. He’s had me speak to them as well.”

 

Turning her attention to Arnav, Khushi raised her eyebrow.

 

“He wants to do things properly, he wanted everyone’s permission and blessings before he asked you himself. After your parents said yes to both me and him, and after I said yes, we didn’t see any point waiting before he asked you.”

 

Turning her attention back to Arnav, Khushi walked towards him.

 

“I can’t believe…”

“You wanted me to prove that I was committed to you, that I really did love you and care for you. It took some soul searching, but ultimately, I realised that I cared for you in a way I have never cared for anyone. I care for my family in one way, but the way I feel about you… It’s completely different. It’s so much more intense and I think that’s love.”

“This is actually happening? Is this actually happening?”

 

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Arnav placed a light kiss on Khushi’s lips.

 

“It really is baby, it really is.”