Chapter 23: Dare and Ask

Khushi turned the stove off and picked out the now burnt jalebis and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

“Tum theek ho?”  Arnav asked.

Khushi’s heart skipped a beat at the words but she just nodded in response.

Arnav looked around and put his hands in his jeans’ front pockets.  Khushi also looked everywhere but at him.

“Uh...I should be leaving.  I’ll see you tomorrow at the office?”  Arnav managed to speak after a few minutes of silence.

“Uh, The day after tomorrow...Its Sunday tomorrow.”  She looked at him as she answered.

She didn’t miss the disappointment that flashed across his face before he covered it up.

“Oh yeah...okay then.  I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”

Khushi nodded.  “See you Monday.”

Arnav smiled and started taking steps backwards.  Khushi reciprocated by taking steps forward.  She walked him to the door and just as he was about to step out, a cell phone rang somewhere in the house.

Arnav patted his pockets.  Khushi looked around the living room, trying to spot the phone.  When his pockets didn’t turn up anything, the two started the search for his phone.  Khushi found it under a pile of Adi’s comics.  Without meaning to look at it, her eyes fell on the screen.  Akash.

Her body went cold for a second as she was suddenly reminded of a family that she had left behind.  She stood up and her hand trembled slightly, itching to answer the call and to speak to her best friend.

“You can answer it if you want.” Arnav spoke right next to her.  

She jumped slightly since she hadn’t realized that he was standing next to her.  She looked at him and at the same moment, the phone went silent.  She stared at the blank screen for a few seconds and it started ringing again.  This time flashing a different name.  Payal.

Khushi just stood there like a statue.  Arnav took the phone out of her hands and answered it on speaker.  Before he had a chance to say as much as ‘Hello’, Payal was on a rant.

“Where the hell have you been??  Do you know how worried we’ve been!  You haven’t been answering calls, haven’t been calling, and haven’t been writing e-mails!  How long is this trip of yours supposed to last?  It’s been a couple months since you’ve been gone!  Shouldn’t the adoption process be done by now?  Lavanya came back and gave her resignation; Aman is getting ready to come there...what’s going on?”

Since the moment Payal had started speaking, Khushi had closed her eyes to keep from crying.  The mixture of happiness and sadness she felt at hearing Payal’s voice was overwhelming.

“Hello Hi Bye Bye, Arnav Bitwa...you has disappear from the house for long.  You doesn’t miss us?”

Khushi couldn’t help but smile at Mami-Ji’s broken English.  She could feel tears burning behind her eyelids now.

“Bhai...I have a rant about this too but I’ll save it for another time.  I called to give you good news...well...two good news!  Firstly...Dadi is no longer bed ridden...She’s more ambulatory so now she’s in a wheelchair.  The doctor said that her recovery is slow but it’s going.”

“That’s great news Akash!”  Arnav was truly happy about this particular news.  He felt the giant monster called guilt in his heart grow a little smaller.  He saw Khushi say a quick prayer under her breath, fresh tears on her cheeks.  “What’s the second news?”

“You might want to take a seat for this...but I think...we’re pretty sure that we’ve found Khushi.”  Akash’s voice was dripping with excitement

The silence that echoed after this declaration was tangible.  Khushi’s eyes had flown open and darted to the phone--shock and surprise visible on her face.

“What?” Arnav asked simply.

“We think she’s in the UK.  One of our clients has a ‘Khushi Gupta’ on their team list for the next project.  Her skills and description match with Khushi’s.  I’ve asked for a background check and more information on her and I’ll let you know as soon as I get anything.”

Khushi looked questioningly at Arnav.  He knew what she would ask the moment he hung up.  Why hadn’t he told them?

“Thanks Akash.” Arnav said simply.

“Are you alright, bhai?  You don’t sound...happy about this…”

“I’m...just surprised, that’s all.  Listen Akash...can I call you back in a few minutes?”

“Yeah sure Bhai.  Everyone here really wants to talk to you so please make sure you call.”

After promising that he’ll call, Arnav hung up.  Just as he had expected, Khushi rounded on him the same second.

“They don’t know that...that you’ve met me?” Khushi asked.

Arnav looked meaningfully into her eyes for a couple seconds before giving her an honest response.  “No.”

Khushi wanted to ask why but before she could bring herself to ask, he had taken a step towards the door.

“I’ll see you Monday.  Have a good night.”  He called over his shoulder and then he was gone.

Khushi stood rooted in her spot, not quite understanding what had happened.

Monday at work, Khushi stopped at Arnav’s desk to thank him for the other day and he inquired about the kids just like any worried father would.  Khushi answered his queries and went into her own cabin.

With a renewed spirit because of the interactions with her over the weekend, Arnav walked into her office to discuss their next project.  

At the end of the discussion, Arnav stood to leave but stopped to speak with her.

“What’s the matter?”  Khushi asked seeing her nervous expression.

“Well...I wanted to ask...let you know...well, ask you something.”

Khushi’s heart thudded knowingly.  Was he about to ask her for lunch, again?  

“I’m doing a small dinner thing at home on Wednesday...Not too many people...In fact it’s just Kripa and her family, Anjali, and….if you allow it, you and the kids.”

Khushi, despite having decided that she would agree to go with him the next time he asked, took a few moments to answer.  It would be just like the weekend, with everyone around.  She saw no harm in that.

“Sure. I’m sure Amby and Adi will be very excited.”  Khushi replied with a small smile.

Wednesday came by sooner than she’d thought for Khushi but for Arnav, it couldn’t have taken longer to get there.  By 4:30 pm, Arnav was practically jumping out of his seat, ready to go home.  He’d done most of the preparations but the excitement wouldn’t hold him.

Khushi on the other hand sat in her cabin, twirling her pen through her fingers nervously while Kripa sat there observing her.

“Relax Khushi.  We’re all going to be there.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Khushi said starkly.

Kripa rolled her eyes.  “Whatever.  I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.”  Kripa got up when she saw Khushi get ready to make a retort.  “Alright...I’ll see you in an hour or so.”

“See you later.”  Khushi said without taking her eyes off the computer screen.

Kripa shook her head and walked to the door but stopped with hand on the doorknob.  She turned to look at Khushi.

“By the way, you should just wear what you’re wearing now.  You look good.”  And with a smirk, Kripa left Khushi’s office.

She winked at Arnav on her way past his desk and he just looked at her with a raised eyebrow in response.

Khushi got up from her chair five minutes after Kripa had left.  She stopped at Arnav’s desk on her way out.

“I’ll need to be in a conference call tomorrow at two in the afternoon, can you please postpone that appointment for later in the day?”  Khushi asked politely.

“Yeah, sure.  Tomorrow at two, you’re supposed to meet with Mr. And Mrs. Chauhan.  I’ll postpone the meeting to five.  Is that okay?”  Came Arnav’s quick response.

“Sounds good.  Do you have anything pending for me?  Appointments?  Calls?  Documents?”  Khushi tried to sound professional.

“No.  Everything’s done for today.”  Arnav looked at her confusedly.

She already had the agenda for that day and he knew that she was aware that she had completed everything.  He couldn’t understand why she was standing here asking him questions to which she already had the answers.

“Oh.  Well then, I guess I’ll head home.  I will see you later this evening.”

Arnav’s smile faltered a little bit.  Her leaving now meant that he wouldn’t get to spend the last hour around her.

He watched on without a word as she went into her office only to emerge a couple minutes later and leave.

He sighed and went back to his e-mail to Akash.  It was becoming harder to keep it a secret from the family.  Payal used to question his happy tone all the time but now even the ever oblivious Mami had started to notice.  Arnav had turned to e-mails to keep in touch instead.

As soon as she got home, Khushi went to her closet to pull out the plainest pair of clothing she could find.  She didn’t want to “look good” this evening.  She didn’t want him to get any other ideas.

‘The only reason why you’re going to his dinner is because he saved Amber and because he’s a colleague’, she reasoned, unconvincingly, with herself.

Amber and Aditya’s chatter kept Khushi’s mind off of her nervousness during the drive to Arnav’s house.  She chewed on her lip nervously once she rang the bell and waited for someone to open the door.

Arnav, himself, took a deep calming breath behind the door before opening it for the most awaited guests.  Aditya gave Arnav an enthusiastic hug before running into the house.  Amber smiled politely at him and gave him a gentle hug before following Adi.

Arnav turned to Khushi and smiled.  She smiled back awkwardly and walked in. 

“Everyone’s back in the yard.” Arnav said, leading her through the house.

Everyone greeted her cheerfully and they all settled down to chat.  Khushi felt much more relaxed seeing Angad, Kripa, and Anjali there as well.  Then she looked to the corner of the yard where a giant jumping castle was inflated.  The four kids were already having a blast in there.  Khushi looked at Arnav who was speaking to Anjali.

He had no kids at his place.  As far as she knew, he lived here by himself, then why would he own an inflatable jumping castle.  The fear of him trying to steal amber and Aditya came to her mind again and she reverted back into her shell.

“Khushi?”  Arnav called her for the fourth time.  Khushi snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him questioningly.

Arnav frowned seeing the fear in her eyes again.  “I’m going to get started with the last bit of cooking...do you have any requests?  Something that Aditya and amber would like?”

Khushi looked at Amber and Aditya and then back at Arnav before shaking her head in a ‘no’ gesture.

Arnav looked at her confusedly and then walked back into the house.  Khushi sat with the other three and tried to join in their conversation.  Her mind, however, wouldn’t allow her to get involved in the discussions.

She had to find out why Arnav was doing all this.  Why was he still here?  Why hadn’t he just finished the adoption process and left?  Why had he asked Khushi for lunch?  Why had he invited her to dinner today?  Why was he trying to befriend the kids?

She needed answers.  She wanted to know what his motive was.  She looked at Kripa and Angad and found them engrossed in their conversation.  She thought it the best time to talk to Arnav.

She subtly excused herself and walked into the house.  She followed the smell of spices to the kitchen.  She stood in the doorway when she saw him focused at the island counter.  After a couple of minutes of standing there awkwardly, she finally knocked on the door.

Arnav looked up and stopped dicing the peppers.  When he didn’t say anything, Khushi raised her eyebrows.  “May I come in?”

Arnav blinked and frowned slightly.  “Of course.  You don’t have to ask.”

Khushi slowly walked across the kitchen while he resumed his work.  Khushi was surprised to find that he was cooking.  Arnav Singh Raizada, the man who had never stepped into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee was standing in front of her preparing a dinner for nine people.

Khushi walked around the counter and stood behind him, to his left in her classic pose.  Her bum leaned against the edge of the counter, with a foot resting against the wall of it.

Angad picked up a glass from his side and drank what looked like wine to her.  Then, as if remembering that she was there, he pulled out another glass and filled it with the same drink and handed it to her.

Khushi took a sip just to kill the awkwardness.  “Oh...Cranberry soda.  I thought it was wine.”

Arnav paused dicing again but didn’t look at her.  “I should’ve clarified that...sorry.”

“Oh no...This is good too.  Normally people drink wine when they cook.”

Arnav shrugged and resumed dicing.  “I don’t drink anymore.”

Khushi froze in the middle of a sip.  Though he didn’t tell her, she knew why he had stopped.

“The jumping castle...”  Khushi trailed off.

“I bought it on my way home today.  The kids had a great time in the jumping castle at the amusement park so I thought why not.”  Arnav answered truthfully.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Khushi put her glass down on the counter and put her hands on the edge of the counter on either side of her hips.

“Why are you doing all this?”  She demanded.

The change of tone in her voice made him turn and look at her.  He turned back without answering her and diced the last bit of pepper.

He picked up the diced peppers and tossed them in the pan.  He turned the heat down on the stove after covering the pan with a lid.  He took off his apron, placed it on the counter in front of him and took an obvious recollecting breath.

He turned to her and walked towards her.  Khushi met his gaze without blinking.

He stopped a couple of steps in front of her and she was taken aback at the emotions displayed across his face.

“Because I want to see them happy.  Any father would do what makes his kids happy.  I didn’t even know I had two wonderful children all these years but now that I know, I want to leave no opportunity to make them happy.  I couldn’t be a good husband...who am I kidding?  I was a horrible husband...but I don’t want to be that again.”

“I wish you didn’t get so close to them.  They’ll be very sad when you leave.”  Khushi sighed.

He closed the distance until he was right in front of her.  He kept both of his hands on the counter on either side of her to prevent her from leaving.

“I don’t want to leave.  I can’t lose you three once again.  I don’t think I’ll survive it this time.  Do you remember what I said to you the day you left?  I meant every word.  I loved you then, I love you now, and with you or away from you, I’ll continue loving you.  I asked you for a chance then and I want to ask you for one again.”

He gave her a couple of seconds to absorb all that.  A tear escaped her eyes and fell onto her cheeks.  Arnav wiped the sole tear with his thumb. 

“I never want to see these in your eyes, Khushi.”  His voice had dropped to a near whisper.  “I promise I won’t let you down this time.  I’ll try to be the best husband, the best father to Amber and Aditya...just give me one last chance.  If you don’t think I deserve you after that, I’ll do anything you say.  I kept my promise to you last time...I didn’t try to look for you...do you know how much that killed me every day?  But I didn’t look for you because it was the last thing you asked of me, how could I not give it to you?”

Khushi’s eyes were filled with tears, her breathing slow and deep.  She felt both of his hands cupping her face now.

“All I need is one chance, Khushi.  Just once chance?  We’ll start fresh...it will be like dating...you don’t have to be my wife...we can spend time together and if you feel ready after that, we can try to gather what’s shattered between us...if we can bring back what we shared before I ruined it, then you can make a decision....and if you don’t want me back in your life after that, I’ll leave forever...the memories I’ve made here and the time I’ve spent with you, Amber, and Aditya will be enough to get me through life...all I’m asking for is one chance.”

“Arnav, are you here?” A voice called from outside the kitchen.  Arnav and Khushi stepped away from each other and immediately started pretending to be cooking.

Anjali walked in, holding her belly.  “Um...A pregnant lady in the house...you need signs leading to the washroom.”

Arnav smiled at her and left to show her the way to the bathroom.  Khushi took this chance to run out of the kitchen.  She fixed her hair and wiped her face before walking out into the yard.

Throughout dinner, Arnav and Khushi stole several glances at each other but neither had a chance to complete the conversation from earlier.

Soon after dinner, Amber was the first one to get sleepy.  Khushi and the kids had left soon after that.

After Khushi had tucked in amber and Aditya, all she could do was lay awake and think about everything Arnav had said to her whereas, Arnav lay awake in his bed, worrying what her response would be.

Chapter 22: Shockware Effect

When Khushi walked into the orphanage the next day, she had to remind herself of her decision that she'd made.  If he asked her for lunch again, she would say yes.  She was prepared to turn the corner at the end of the hallway and walk into her office without being interrupted.

"Good Morning" He spoke from behind his desk, standing as she stopped.

She looked surprised and slightly taken aback.

"Good morning."  She replied and then checked her watch before looking back at him.  "You're early."

He shrugged.  "I had some work pending."

They stood there looking at each other silently for a few seconds.  Then, Khushi gave him a small smile before taking a step towards her office.

"Oh!"  Arnav remembered.  "Today's lunch..."  He started.

Khushi paused, her heartbeat started racing.  She turned to look at him and was surprised that he wasn't looking at her.  He was looking at the computer screen instead.

"I had to postpone your lunch hour so that I could fit in that meeting with the school's trustee."  He said looking at the screen.

Khushi felt slightly disappointed and that surprised her, but she nodded and thanked him before walking into her cabin.

The rest of the day, Arnav maintained a professional interaction with her.  He didn't want to make her angry and he was still hurt by the fact that she thought he could ever forget what he'd done to her.

Three days passed with strictly professional interactions between Khushi and Arnav but Arnav couldn't deny that he had noticed a change in her behaviour towards him.  She spoke to him calmly and her tone wasn't bitter most of the time.  She didn't cringe when she saw him with Aditya and Amber. 

However, the one change that made Arnav feel a bit happier was how frequently she offered a smile these days.

Khushi had a feeling that he won't ask her for lunch again and she started considering whether she should go ahead and ask him or remind him somehow.

Thanks to Kripa, however, Khushi didn't have to go through the trouble because at the end of the week, Kripa and Angad walked into Khushi's office.

"We're technically not asking you...we're telling you that we're all going to the new water-world amusement park tomorrow.  The kids love the idea."

Khushi looked at them and blinked.  "I...My car needs to be taken in tomorrow for servicing..."

Kripa crossed her arms and glared.  "Are you making excuses?"

Khushi shook her head.  "No.  You know I wouldn't do that...especially if Amby and Adi want to go.  But the car has been giving me issues lately and I want to get it checked.  I'm supposed to drop it off tonight."

Angad shrugged.  "It's not a problem.  We have an extra car."

"We do?"  Khushi asked confusedly.

"Arnav can drive the three of you.  I'm sure he won't mind."  Angad shrugged.

Kripa looked at Khushi to see her reaction.  Khushi was frowning slightly, lost in thought.

"Ask him first.  If He's okay with it..."

As if on cue, Arnav walked in holding a file.  "Oh I'm sorry.  I didn't know you two were here."  He said as he saw Angad and Kripa.

"That's fine.  We're not talking business.  Listen...for tomorrow...Khushi's car's going in for service...would you mind driving them?"

Arnav looked at Khushi as if looking for approval.  She shrugged slightly.  "If it's not too much trouble for you.  We can take a cab if it's a problem."

"Oh no...No...Um...I'm alright driving...I'll be driving there anyway.  It doesn't make sense for you to take the cab when my car will be empty."

"Great!"  Angad exclaimed.  "We'll meet at the part at 10 in the morning then."

Arnav and Khushi nodded and murmured their approval but both were nervous and excited about the plan for tomorrow.

Arnav barely slept that night as he tried to imagine various scenarios that could take place tomorrow.  Would she sit in the front passenger seat?  What would they talk about?  Would it be awkward?

Khushi was caught up with similar thoughts at her home too.  She had been jittery all evening and had cleaned the house for a long time to keep her mind off of things.

The morning came sooner than both had expected and Arnav reached her house precisely at 9 am.  Amber and Aditya ran out of the house and towards Arnav.  Aditya gave him a big hug and shared high fives while Amber gave him a quick hug and smiled at him sweetly.  Aditya wore a blue t-shirt with a picture of a Spiderman with navy shorts.  Meanwhile, Amber was dressed in a white polo shirt with gray borders matched with gray caprice.  Arnav couldn't help but smile at the contrasting styles of the two twins.

He saw the front door open again and Khushi stepped out wearing a sky blue t-shirt with black skinny jeans and flats.  He saw her eyes widen when she looked at him and he knew why.  They were matching.  He walked to her to help her carry some of the things she had brought with.

"Hi." He said with a small smile.

"Hey" she replied with ease, ignoring the fact that they were matching to the T.

When they got to the car, Amber and Aditya were arguing about who would sit in the front.

"Hey!  What have I told you two about fighting over little things?"  Khushi looked down at her children.

"Sorry mom." The two mumbled simultaneously.

"How about this...we'll flip a coin.  Whoever wins the toss sits in the front now and then the other can sit in the front on our way back."  Arnav suggested.

Amber and Aditya looked at each other and then at Arnav and nodded.  Arnav took out a coin and flipped it in the air.

"Heads!" Amber called the shot first.

"Heads it is." Arnav said showing the coin to the kids.

Amber cheered and Arnav helped her get into the car and put on her seatbelt.

Khushi and Aditya sat in the back.  The car ride wasn't awkward at all, thanks to the kids.  One of them was constantly talking or asking questions and Arnav and Khushi were both busy responding to them.  Of course, Arnav stole many glances at Khushi in the rear view mirror and he couldn't deny that his heart wanted to jump out of his chest every time she smiled.

The hour ride to the park passed by very quickly and they met Angad and his family at the entrance.  Kripa looked at Arnav and Khushi from head to toe and raised her eyebrows in question while Angad tried (and failed) to control his giggles.

"Shut up."  Arnav said with a smile.

The entire day passed smoothly for everyone.  The kids paired up with another adult for all the rides and enjoyed their time in the park.

As the four adults talked and mingled, Khushi noticed how easy it was for her to have a normal conversation with Arnav.  She took that as a good sign and continued talking as if she was with her best friends and that one of them wasn't her husband.

At the end of the day, they started heading back towards the parking lot.

"Stay away from the water, girls" Kripa warned as she saw Sur and Amber chase after small ducklings in an attempt to catch them.

Angad Sighed.  "That was a good day...I'm just not looking forward to the drive back..."  He groaned at the idea.

Kripa looped an arm around his waist.  "I'll drive home..."

Arnav and Khushi looked at each other for a moment.

"You're okay to drive?"  Khushi asked.

Arnav nodded.   "I don't mind driving.  I've developed a liking for long drives and road trips lately."

Knowing the reason behind this, Khushi slowed down unconsciously.  Her gut feeling told her that after she left, he probably started driving pointlessly in the days following to get his mind off of things.  Arnav looked at her and looked away sheepishly, knowing that she'd figured it out.

The two walked for a couple of minutes in silence until Sur bumped into Arnav.  Arnav smiled at her as she apologized and ran off towards her parents.

"Amber!"  Khushi screamed, startling Arnav.

Arnav turned to see why the sudden alarm from Khushi and then he saw it.  Amber had gone to the other side of the path and was headed straight towards the edge of the miniature cliff, almost at the end of the decorative waterfall which was lined by sharp rocks.

Kripa grabbed onto Sur to keep her from running anywhere while Angad held onto Aditya.  Arnav and Khushi ran towards amber.  Despite the head start Khushi had, Arnav eventually outran her and reached amber first.  He pulled her back from the edge and gave her a light push towards a safer area.  In the process, he lost his balance and fell, scraping his elbow and hitting his head on one of the rocks.

Khushi looked at Arnav while she held Amber in her arms until Kripa came.  As soon as Kripa got there, Khushi handed Amber over to her and ran to Arnav.  He was already up and walking towards Amber.

"She's fine!"  Khushi said, taking his arm and turning it to look at the wound on his elbow.  Then she looked at the wound on the right corner of his forehead which was bleeding as well.

Arnav's eyes didn't leave amber's face.  Khushi pulled him to the nearest picnic bench and sat him down.  She swiftly took off her backpack and pulled out a first aid kit.  She picked out a cotton ball and some antiseptic and started nursing the wounds.

Arnav hissed as soon as the liquid caused stinging.  She looked up at him and that was when he noticed the tears in her eyes.  She continued nursing his wounds and when she finished putting the tape over the gauze pad on his forehead, she failed at stopping a tear from escaping onto her cheek.

"Khushi..." Arnav started.

"Just shut up." She cut him off.  She then took a deep breath and nodded.  "Thank you for that."

"For what?  Saving my daughter?"  Arnav said, obviously offended by her formality.

Just then, Amber came up to them.  "Buddy!  Are you okay?"

Arnav sat her in his lap.  "I'm fine princess.  Are you alright?"  Amber nodded in response, and Arnav continued.  "What were you doing sweetie?  What were thinking, hmm?  You could have fallen in the water.  You could have really hurt yourself!  Do you know how upset mamma and buddy would have been if you'd gotten hurt?"

Amber pouted.  "I'm sorry buddy.  Sorry Mamma."

She looked at the first aid kit that Khushi was putting away into her backpack and then she looked at the bandages on Arnav's arm and head.

"Mamma...did you give buddy your magic healing kiss?" Amber questioned innocently.

Khushi's head jerked in amber's direction.

"Magic healing kiss?" Arnav asked.

"Yeap!  When Adi and Me get hurt...mamma gives us a magic healing kiss and it gets better fast."  Amber answered.

Arnav could not help but chuckle at the sheer innocence on her face and in her explanation.

"Oh well...I think she saves those special kisses for you and Adi...because you two are so special!" Arnav smiled at her.

"Well...then I'll give you one!" and with that, Amber kissed Arnav right under the bandage on his head and elbow.

Something stirred in Khushi's heart as she watched the father-daughter bond.  A part of her wished that he didn't get so close to amber and Aditya because the kids would be upset when he left.

Kripa and Angad had also made their way over with Sur, Prateek, and Aditya but had decided to wait until later to make sure everyone was alright.  Within minutes, everyone was in their respective car, ready to head to their next destination'the restaurant.

Khushi was quiet for most of the dinner and drive to the restaurant.  Once they left and headed home, as decided earlier in the day, Aditya sat in the front with Arnav while Khushi and Amber sat in the back.

During their drive, every time Arnav looked at Khushi through the mirror, he saw her arm wound protectively around Amber.  At one point, he could have sworn that he had seen her wipe a tear away.  After a few minutes' driving in silence, they reached Khushi's house.

Khushi shuffled out of the car awkwardly, still holding Amber close.  Aditya grabbed onto Arnav's hand and pulled him towards the house.

"Mama, can buddy have a sleepover at our house?"  Aditya asked sweetly, but Arnav could tell that the plea had fallen on deaf ears'Khushi was lost in her own thoughts, a frown on her face.

"Yeah mama!  Can he, can he, can he?"  Amber chimed.

"Huh?"  Khushi snapped out of her thoughts.  "Sorry, what was that honey?"

"Can buddy stay over today?"  Amber repeated for her.

"Uh...I don't know Amby...maybe some other time."  Arnav responded.

Instantly, the kids started pleading Khushi to make him stay.  Khushi, till now, had never denied her kids anything as long as what they were asking for wasn't bad for them.  If they had asked her the same a few weeks ago, she would have said no.  But today, after he had saved amber, Khushi knew that no matter what past they had, Arnav would never hurt Amber and Aditya.

Both, Amber and Aditya were holding each of Khushi's hand and looking up at her expectantly, chanting 'Please mama'.  Arnav looked at the three of them nervously.  He was waiting for Khushi to lose her temper and he braced himself for bitter words when she turned to look at him.

"Would you mind?"  Khushi asked.

Arnav blinked twice, not quite believing what he had just heard.  Was she asking if he would mind staying over tonight?  At her place?  With Amber and Aditya?  And...her?

"I'll stay for a bit."  Arnav replied.

"Yay!!"  The kids cheered.

The four walked into the house and the kids spent the next hour showing Arnav their collections and toys and books.  Khushi kept herself busy'putting away things they'd taken today, cleaning up the already tidy house.

At last, she walked into the kids' room and announced that it was almost bed time.  She ushered the kids towards their bathroom where they brushed their teeth and took turns showering.  Meanwhile, Arnav looked at the numerous pictures of the Amber, Aditya, and Khushi around the house.  He'd even paused at a picture of a pregnant Khushi wearing a shirt that said 'double trouble' over the belly.  With every picture he saw and admired, he felt a small pang in his heart.

The kids ran out into the living room to get him back, each seizing one of his arms and pretty much forcing him into their room with their excitement.  Aditya went to the books and pulled out a book.

"It's my turn to choose a story today." He said, pushing the book towards Arnav.  He looked from the book, to the twins, to Khushi who had appeared in the doorway.

"W-what?" Arnav sputtered, suddenly nervous.

Khushi shrugged as if it was obvious.  "They want you to read them a bedtime story...I can do it if you don't'"

"I would love to."  Arnav interrupted Khushi.

Khushi nodded, turned on her heels and walked away and Arnav could swear he'd seen a ghost of a smile on her face.

The father and his kids lay on the bottom berth of the bunk bed.  Arnav guessed right away that it was claimed by Amber'he could tell from the solid coloured bed sheets and pillows with a classy blanket (the top berth being Aditya's with car printed bed sheet, Scooby-do pillows, and toy story blanket.)

Arnav attempted his first bedtime story ever and with every sentence he read, he felt himself relax more and more.

On the other hand, Khushi had sat on the foot of her bed, recounting the events of today, vividly aware of the fact that Arnav was in the room right next to her and was separated merely by a connecting door.  She could hear him read the story and hear the kids laughing and commenting on things from time to time.  With a sigh, she stood up and went to take a shower.

When Khushi stepped out of the shower, the house was quiet.  Alarmed, she went to the kids' room.  She found the three sleeping and sighed in relief.

Amber had her head on Arnav's chest while Aditya slept next to Amber.  Khushi went to Aditya, lifted him off the bed with ease and put him on the top bunk of the bed.  She ran her hand through his soft hair lovingly and kissed his forehead.  The she walked around the bed to face Amber and did the same.

She looked at Arnav and paused.  He looked so content at this moment.  Involuntarily, she touched the bandage on his head with the tips of her fingers.  Her touch had woke him up but he kept his eyes closed.  He knew that if she knew he was awake, she would leave and he didn't want that.

After sitting on the little gap on the bed on Arnav's side for a couple of long minutes, she gulped and bent down until her soft lips touched his forehead, just below the bandage.

His heartbeat raced and he struggled to keep pretending that he was asleep.

"Thank you...for saving Amber...for saving my life." She whispered.  Tears rushed into her eyes.  She caressed his hair for a moment.  "After what you've done for me today, I can almost forgive you for what you did to me."  She paused, which emphasized the next word she spoke.  "Almost."

He felt her get up and leave.  When he heard the door click shut, he opened his eyes and a sole tear escaped.  He lay there for a while, guilt and regrets gnawing at him.  The regret multiplied every time he saw amber and Aditya.

They were conceived out of his monstrosity but even then, she hadn't abandoned them.  She hadn't gotten an abortion.  They probably reminded her of his beastly crime every single moment she spent with them but despite that she had raised them to be such lovely and wonderfully perfect kids.

And what had he done?  He had raped her.

He had broken her heart.  He had broken her trust.  He had missed the nine precious months of her first pregnancy, the first ultrasound, the first time hearing the heartbeat, the first kicks of the babies.  He had missed the birth of their first two children, of his first two children.  He had missed hearing the kids' first cries, their first words.  He had missed witnessing their first smiles, their first laughs, their first steps...the first four years of their lives!

He hadn't been there for Khushi when she needed him the most.  He would regret that his whole life.  He had made her angry enough, had hurt her enough to make her leave.

Some clattering sound snapped him out of his thoughts.  He listened for the sound to repeat to make sure he hadn't imagined it.  When there was another clatter, Arnav gently put amber's head on the pillow, wiped his face with a tissue paper and walked out of the room, following the sound.

The smell of something frying and more clatters led him to the kitchen.  He saw exactly what he had expected.  She was making jalebis.  She was crying as she worked but to his surprise, she looked angry at the same time.

Smudges of batter covered her forehead and cheeks.  She had just finished drawing another swirl of the batter in the oil filled pan when he reached her and took the little bundle out of her hands.

She continued to cry silently when he turned her to face him.  She avoided looking at him directly and looked at the buttons on his shirt instead.  He held her by the shoulders and that made her close her eyes and bite down on her lip as if trying not to cry any harder.  He knew exactly what was bothering her...he knew her enough to know that.

"Khushi...she's absolutely alright.  She's calmly asleep."  Arnav reassured her that Amber was alright.

Khushi sniffed and swallowed to clear her throat.  "T-thank you Arnav.  I can't thank you enough for what you did today."  It hurt him when she thanked him for saving his own daughter. 

When he didn't say anything, Khushi continued.  "It scares me to even think what would have happened if you weren't there!  I wouldn't have reached her in time.  I wasn't fast enough. I'm a horrible mother!"  Khushi let out an agonizing sob and before she knew it, her head was against his chest, where she--undeniably--found comfort at this moment.

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her delicate frame as she hid her face on his chest and cried.  He knew the feeling...this felt normal.  Even after years of separation, it was comforting to be in each other's arms, expressing their grief and fears.  The last time he could remember, the situation was different in the sense that he'd been the one in tears and she was comforting him.

"Shh Khushi...enough. Please stop crying.  Look at me." He said when her sobs didn't subside.

He pulled apart and cupped her face, "Khushi, look at me!"  There was a definite authority in his voice that even Khushi couldn't ignore. 

He patiently waited until she brought herself to look at his face.  "These kids are lucky to have you as their mother.  I can't imagine anyone else being a better mother to them.  You alone have brought them up through tough circumstances and you have done an amazing job at that.  Some kids are rude and spoiled despite having two parents to teach them the rights and wrongs but you alone have raised two perfect little angels.  Stop blaming yourself for what happened today!  It wasn't your fault."

He gently pulled her in his arms again.  She wasn't sobbing audibly but he knew she was still crying.  He let her take her time.  The almost accident had clearly scared her more than it should and he suspected that nothing like this had ever happened with amber or Aditya before.

After a few minutes of silent tears, she realized that he was still holding her.  She had snapped back into the reality of the present.  She awkwardly pulled apart from him and avoided his eyes.  Arnav looked away too.

Khushi turned the stove off and picked out the now burnt jalebis and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ears.

"Tum theek ho?"  Arnav asked.

Khushi's heart skipped a beat at the words but she just nodded in response.

Chapter 21: Decisions

"Just ask her!"  Kripa tried to reason with Arnav.  "You can't stall this forever!  Eventually you'll have to let her know what you want.  She should know that you're here to win her over again."

"There's no point in asking, Kripa...she's just going to say no."  Arnav tried to defend his decision of not asking Khushi out for lunch.

"Yes she will.  You can guarantee that.  She'll say no the first few times and you'll have to be persistent.  You think I agreed to give Angad a second chance the first time he asked?  What she went through has formed a version of you in her mind that's not accurate.  You have to tell her that you're different from that.  You have to let her know that you truly regret what you did and that you'll never do anything close to that again.  It's winning her over entirely as if you two don't know each other.  You'll need to be ready to accept her rejection."  Kripa sounded annoyed.

"She's right.  You can't delay asking her simply from the fear of rejection because no matter how long you wait...the first couple of times...she will say no."  Angad added in.

Arnav sighed, finally giving in.  "I'll ask her when she comes back but if she kills me, I'm blaming you."

So now he stood in her cabin, in front of her, watching her as she looked through a client's file.

"Background check is clear.  References look good.  Give them the next available appointment."  Khushi handed the file back to him.

He took it with a nod and smiled.  "Um...I wanted to ask you something."

Khushi looked at him questioningly.  He looked at the floor and fell silent.  He was trying to calm down.

"What's the matter?  Are you alright?"  She asked concern clear on her face.

"Oh...I'm...fine."

Khushi frowned worriedly.  "Do you need a day off?"

"No...I just wanted to ask if...if you...you would...um...joinmeforlunch?"

"What?"  Khushi said confusedly.  "I didn't catch that..."

Arnav sighed and clutched the file tightly.  "Would you like to join me for lunch tomorrow?"

The frown disappeared from her face.  She looked away from him and focused on her laptop screen.

"Please close the door on your way out." She said quietly.

"Sure."  Arnav took the hint and walked out of her office.

Arnav closed the door behind him and breathed out.  He knew that could have been worse and he had prepared himself for the rejection anyway.  It still didn't feel nice.

Khushi, on the other hand, sat staring at the laptop screen.  Just staring, not really looking at it.  In fact, she was busy with her thoughts.  She didn't know what to think of this sudden question he'd asked.  Some part of her mind told her that she knew it was coming while another part of her mind completely denied it.

She gathered herself once again and decided to put it behind her.  She doubted that he would ask again after her negative response.

But she was wrong.  He asked her again the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that.  He continued asking her for an entire week and got the same response from her: Please close the door on your way out.

On day 10, he asked her again.  This time, Khushi shut her laptop and stood up.  She walked around the table and stood in front of him, looking angry.

"Quit asking me every day.  Just because you ask me the same question repeatedly, it doesn't mean that my response will change!  Maybe you have forgotten everything but I haven't!"  Khushi yelled.

This enraged Arnav.  "You think I've forgotten everything?  Do you really think I've forgotten the one mistake that ruined my entire life?  I lost my wife because of it; I lost my family because of it.  And I couldn't do anything all these years because the one thing you'd asked for when you left was to not come looking for you!  I'm not asking you to forget anything; I'm not expecting you to forget anything.  You have all the right to be angry with me but don't ever claim that I've forgotten everything.  You can't forget something that torments you day and night and pretty much kills you...a painful death every single day."

And with that, Arnav started to walk out of the office when he saw Kripa standing in the doorway.  Realizing that he'd stopped, Khushi turned to look at him and saw Kripa as well.  Khushi looked away when Arnav turned to face her before he left.

Seconds after he left, Kripa walked in and slammed the door behind her.

"This is wrong, Khushi."  Kripa said honestly.

"You don't know everything Kripa."  Khushi said curtly.

"Hell yes, I do.  He told me everything.  And before you blame him again, let me tell you that not once has he put any kind of blame on you.  He hates himself for what he's done to you.  He hates himself because you left.  He hates himself because he had to stay away from his kids all these years.  Khushi, he genuinely regrets what he did and he's just trying to do what he knows is impossible.  Trying to fix things."  Kripa empathized with him.

"Things are too shattered to be fixed again."

"NO THEY'RE NOT!  Look at me and Angad!  You know our story...how can you say things are too shattered to be fixed?  You don't think Angad and I love each other?  You don't think we're happy?  You don't think Sur and Prateek are happy?  I went through a similar situation too, so I know how you feel but till date, Angad hasn't forgiven himself so I also know what Arnav feels."

"Angad realized what he was doing and he stopped.  Your situation was different."  Khushi was yelling too now, tearful.

"But he was sober."  Kripa deadpanned.  "Arnav, as far as I know, was drunk.  I know it doesn't excuse him completely just because he was drunk but it does give him a benefit of doubt."  Kripa tried to reason.

"Being drunk is not an excuse for anything."  Khushi shot back.

Kripa frowned, grabbed Khushi's wrist and led her out the office.  She pulled Khushi all the way to Angad's office.  Angad stood up at the sudden intrusion but he understood almost immediately what the reason might be.  Khushi's tearful eyes were easy enough to read.

"Give me the DVD we made in Goa."  Kripa said authoritatively.

Without a word, Arngad pulled out the DVD and handed it to Kripa.  Kripa opened the disk drive on the laptop on his desk and inserted the DVD. 

"Kripa, are you..."  Angad started but Kripa interrupted.

"This is necessary."  She retorted.

Angad shrugged, surrendering.  Khushi was curious about this DVD.  Kripa started the clip and turned the laptop so that Khushi could see.  What Khushi saw, made her gasp out loud.

It was her.  A recording from the club they'd gone to the night of the show.  She saw herself up on the bar's counter, dancing drunkenly.  She was singing out of tune and giggling the entire time.  She was given further shock when she stepped down from the counter and a stranger pulled her towards himself.  Khushi, without hesitation had put her arms around his shoulders and begun dancing.

Khushi stood there, with a hand over her mouth, as she saw herself behaving in such manner.  The fact that she didn't remember any of it was mind-boggling.  She wanted to cry when she saw that the stranger was getting sort of intimate and she had done nothing to stop him.  At last, Angad had shown up and pulled her away from him.  She had put up a fight for a bit but then she had fainted in his arms.

Kripa looked at Khushi.  "I'm sorry we had to do that but I knew that someday I will need this."

"You know, something really wrong could have happened!"  Khushi blamed.

"I was following you closely.  I wouldn't have let anything happened to you."  Angad explained.

"Were you aware of this side of you, Khushi?"  Kripa asked.

"I never do that.  It's probably because I'm drunk.  I don't even rem--" Khushi stopped speaking as she realized the point Kripa was trying to make.  The point was driven home and with what impact!

Kripa smiled smugly.  "I thought you said being drunk isn't an excuse for anything."  Kripa went on when Khushi didn't say anything.  "You don't even remember this.  Arnav remembers.  And you know what...not once has he tried to use being drunk as an excuse to defend himself.  I can't explain this any more...I think I've made myself clear.  And I repeat...I'm not saying that being drunk is a reason that should be used to excuse his act.  Most definitely not.  But perhaps it is the reason that should make you think that maybe all of that wouldn't have happened if he was sober.  Maybe you'll give him the benefit of doubt."

Angad and Kripa left her with her thoughts.  Khushi sat down and thought and re-thought everything.  She recalled how he had stumbled in drunk that night, and her mind automatically gave her an image of herself stumbling on the bar's countertop--as if her brain was trying to force her to compare the two scenarios.  She recalled the numerous times she'd seen him punish himself, and apologizing to her repeatedly.  She compared that to the fact that she didn't even remember what she's done while she was drunk.  She recalled her defense of being drunk for her behaviour and she recalled that till now, Arnav had never used that to defend himself.  He had always accepted the full blame of it and accepted every punishment she'd given him.

After a couple hours of tears and ponderings later, Khushi concluded that till today, she had no idea of how strong of an effect alcohol could have on someone.  She still couldn't forget what he'd done, though. 

She felt like confronting him--about what?...she didn't know.  She found herself walking towards her office, hoping to see Arnav in his cabin right beside her office.  He wasn't there.  She checked her own office to make sure he wasn't there.  She found Kripa and Angad sitting there, instead.  Angad stood up and walked to her.  He made her sit down and sat next to her.

"Khushi, you're like a sister to me.  I'm speaking to you as a brother and as a man who knows the guilty feeling of having forced yourself on your wife...drunk or sober...doesn't matter.  The ball is and always will be in your court.  All I want to say is from how much I've gotten to know him; I can tell he truly loves you.  He truly regrets what he did.  He loves Amber and Aditya too.  At this point, you can't just think about yourself.  You need to think about Amby and Adi too.  Eventually in life, you'll want the love of a man.  Someone you can share your happiness and worries with.  Someone who understands you as much as yourself, if not more.  And to be honest with you...Eventually Amby and Adi will need a father figure in their lives."

"You've rejected the handful of men I've introduced to you and I don't think it's because you don't trust men anymore.  You're close to Angad...if you hated men, that wouldn't be the case--especially considering that Angad has made a mistake similar to Arnav's.  I feel like you'll rip me apart if I put this in words but for the sake of your happiness, I'll take the chance and dare to say that behind all your hate for Arnav...You still love him.  You don't have to decide anything right now.  Spend some time with him and see if you feel differently.  At the end of the day, he'll accept whatever you decide.  He has for the past five years."

Khushi was surrounded by whirlpools of mixed feelings and thoughts again.  As much as she denied it, somewhere in a deep, deep, forgotten corner of her heart, she knew she still loved him--it was one of the reasons why she had still kept her married name.

She had pondered over her decision to leave home and had wondered numerous times what life would have been like had she given him a second chance.

When all the thoughts became too confusing, she pushed aside her stubbornness and decided to talk to Arnav about it.  She would tell him that she will always have the mindset that he wouldn't have raped her if he were sober.  She would tell him that despite that, she couldn't forget what had happened and she wasn't too sure about giving him a second chance either.  She needed to tell him all of this for her own sanity.

She stood up and walked out of her cabin with the goal of finding Arnav.  She looked everywhere she thought he might be but didn't find him.  At last, on her way back to her cabin, she saw him walking into the staff lounge...with another woman.  To say that it hurt her to see him holding that other woman's hand would be an understatement.

Against her better judgement, she found herself moving towards the door of the lounge.  She could hear murmurs of their voices and she moved closer to hear what was going on inside.

"Why can't you realize that you mean more than a boss to me?  Don't you see it?  I love you, ASR!"  The woman exclaimed.

Khushi's heart started hammering in her chest.  She peeked into the room and saw her hugging him.  It brought Khushi some relief to see that Arnav wouldn't hug her back.  He, in fact, held her by the shoulders and pulled away from her.

"Lavanya, I've never looked at you that way.  You've always been my employee for me.  I'm sorry."  Arnav said sympathetically.

"Can't you try to look at me differently now, ASR?  Now that you know what I feel for you..."  Lavanya's voice shook a little.

"I can't.  Even if I try...I won't be able to see you differently.  I can never feel for you what you feel for me."  Arnav was gentle with his tone.

"Why?  What do I lack?  I know about your habits, I know about your likes and dislikes, I know that you seem lonely.  You don't think I'm good enough for you?"  Lavanya's ego was clearly hurt.

"It's not that.  You're beautiful.  You're very efficient.  You're a really nice girl.  But I'm in love with someone else."

"Who?  Your wife?"  Lavanya spat bitterly.  "The woman who left you and never looked back?  Never tried to contact you?  The woman who doesn't even know whether you're alive or not?"

Khushi felt guilty for a reason she couldn't explain.

"Enough Lavanya.  You don't know anything about her.  All you need to know is that I love her and no woman can take her place in my life.  I don't want to hear a single word against her.  I think it's best if you leave."  Arnav said curtly.

Lavanya was hurt.  "I can't believe you're wasting away your life waiting for that woman.  You deserve better, ASR."

"No.  She deserved better than me.  You won't get it and I don't find it necessary to explain it to you.  I'm sorry that I can't reciprocate your feelings."  Arnav said.

Khushi pressed herself against the wall as Lavanya walked out.  A ghost of a smile appeared on Khushi face.

That night, after putting Amber and Aditya to sleep, Khushi gathered bits of courage to pull out the bunch of pictures she had cherished but seldom looked at.  Pictures of her and Arnav.

As she flipped through them, she recalled the happy memories--trying her best to ignore the dark bit of her past that tended to try to change her thoughts.

Around four in the morning, at last numbed by all the thoughts and considerations and comparisons and musings later, Khushi made a decision.

The next time he asks her for lunch or dinner, she will say yes.  'Just to see if there is still a possibility of fixing things' was the excuse Khushi had used to convince herself.

Chapter 20: Remembering

Khushi sat in her office the following day, reading the article about their organization in the paper.  Just like she wanted, her name or her children's name wasn't included anywhere.  She was referenced to as 'The manager' of the organization.

Following that article was an article about a group of people who were trying to attempt to break the world record for the largest formation of skydivers.  Her heart hammered in her chest at the word 'Skydivers'.

Her mind quickly turned the pages of the book of her past and stopped at one of her cherished chapters.  Her weekend getaway with Arnav.

(Flashback)

Arnav's work kept him busy enough on the weekdays.  He did try to come back home as soon as possible to make sure he spent time with his wife.  However, after their wedding, the idea of them going on a honeymoon had never cropped up.

"I'll talk to Arnav when he comes back!  This is not done!"  Payal complained to Nani and Akash.

Khushi just smiled.  "It's really okay.  It's not a big deal..."

"It is a big deal!  When Chotte comes back, I will talk to him.  You two should go away for a few days and spend some time together.  You've only been married for a month!" Nani explained to Khushi.

"Nani...you know he's only working so hard to make the company more successful...and as far as I'm concerned...He spends enough time with me.  I don't feel like he's neglecting me because of work.  When he's not here, I have all of you to give me company!"

"That's the point...you two wont get to really know each other if you're constantly surrounded by family." Akash teased.  "You two have to go for a trip."

"We are going."  Arnav's voice boomed in the living room. 

Khushi held her breath and turned to look at him.  To her surprise, he had a gentle smile on his face.

"I was just going to talk to you about that today.  I've rescheduled all of my Friday's meetings.  Aman had put together a trip plan for the three days.  We will be back by Sunday night."  He said taking a seat next to Khushi.

Khushi was dying to ask him about the sudden plans but she saved her questions for when they would be alone. Once they got to their room, however, they started packing right away. After several minutes, Khushi finally found a chance to ask him.

"So when did Aman plan all this?"

"We actually started planning last week. I wanted to surprise you but since they were bugging you with all those questions...I decided that it was best to mention it then." Arnav answered without looking at her as he packed a few t-shirts into his bag.

Khushi put her bag of toiletries she'd been holding into the bag and looked at him. "I'm still surprised." She smiled sweetly when he looked at her. "You're going to take a day off from work for this?"

He tilted his head sideways and raised an eyebrow. "I'm just trying to change con numbers four, five, and six on your list." Her eyes widened and cheeks flushed red. Arnav held up his index finger. "Con number four was that I'm unromantic." He held up one more finger. "Con number five was that I'm not fun loving." He held up the third finger. "Con number six was that I spend too much time in the office."

Khushi averted her gaze and blushed a deeper shade of crimson.  He smiled at her and went back to packing his suitcase.  Once both suitcases were packed, he put the luggage by the door and started heading towards the washroom.

Just then, to his surprise, Khushi grabbed his hand by the wrist.  He turned to look at her questioningly.

"Thank you."  She said in a quiet voice.

"For what?" He questioned.

"For doing this." She nudged her chin towards the luggage.  "I know how much you love work and for you to take time away from it...I really appreciate it."

Arnav breathed out and cautiously put his hands on her shoulders, unsure of how she might react.  "The only reason why I spent long hours at the office was because I didn't really have anything to come back to at home.  Now I do.  I have a wife at home who waits for me.  I have a reason to be home.  As far as this weekend is concerned...I did it for us."

He didn't explain further and she didn't prompt him.  She knew how difficult it was for him to put his feeling into words.  For him to have said all that must've taken a lot of effort on his part.  The fact that he was making an honest effort--just like she was--was enough to satisfy her.

The next day, the couple bid the family goodbye and drove off towards the airport.  At the airport, Khushi realized that they weren't taking a regular flight--they were flying in a private plane.  Khushi looked at Arnav wide-eyed as she started boarding the giant vehicle which had a stylish 'AR' painted on its tail wing.

"How come I don't know that you own a plane?"  She asked as soon as they took their seats.

Arnav shrugged.  "I don't find it necessary to brag about it.  You know about the chopper though, I'm sure."

She nodded.  She did know about the chopper.  She had travelled in it with Akash for a couple of fashion shows.  In an hour and half the pilot announced their landing.  Khushi was too engrossed in her conversation with Arnav to look outside.  But when she did, she was surprised at the amount of snow on the floor.  Back in Toronto, the snow had melted away and the temperatures were slowly returning to above zero degrees.

"Where are we?"  She asked, afraid that she hadn't packed for this weather.  What she didn't know was that Arnav had already planned for this.

"Thunder bay.  Our first stop." He said leading her towards the exit.

On their drive to the hotel, she stared out of the window the entire time, surprised and stunned by the beauty of the enormous amounts of snow.  Arnav looked at her childlike reaction and simply smiled to himself.

Once at the resort, Khushi only had enough time to get dressed in a snowsuit and don heavy snow boots.  She was glad to see Arnav outside of his business mode.  He seemed just as excited about this trip as she did.  He could hardly contain his excitement as he--unintentionally--put an arm around her shoulders and ushered her out to their car.

"We have no time to sit around!  It's going to be a busy two days, Khushi!  There is so much to do!"

"Where are we headed?"  Khushi asked, still confused at all the rush.

"You'll see.  I don't want to ruin the surprise."

A few minutes later, Khushi found herself holding a giant rubber tube and gaping open-mouthed at the steep hill she was standing on top of.  She saw the two people in front of her hop onto the tube on their bellies and kick off with their toes.

Her eyes widened as their tubes picked up speed and they disappeared around the corner.  He had brought her snow tubing!

When it was their turn, Khushi put the tube down on the floor and gingerly sat in the tube, clutching the handles with all her might.  She squeezed her eyes shut but heard Arnav put his snow tube next to hers.

"It's no fun if you keep your eyes closed." He teased.

She pouted but didn't open her eyes.  Arnav chuckled lightly and reached over to grab one of the handles on her rubber tube.  She looked at his hand clutching the handle and moved her hand to make sure he got a better grip.  She looked at him thankfully and he smiled back.

Then, when she least expected it, the instructor gave them a big push and their tubes started sliding down the ice-sleek slope.  Khushi's expression was frozen surprised until they turned the seventh corner and she saw the steepest hill they would encounter on this 'adventure'.  Her hand instinctively let go of the handle and she grabbed a hand full of Arnav's sleeve in her hand.

She giggled and screamed down the hill and when they finally came to a stop, she burst out into laughter.

"That was amazing!" she exclaimed.  She got up a little too quickly, slipped on the icy surface.  With a yelp, her butt hit the floor.  She burst into laughter at her own fall which amazed Arnav.  He continued to watch her with a goofy smile.

"You're allowed to laugh if you want.  That was pretty funny."  Khushi said to him, still giggling.

Arnav chuckled lightly and offered her a hand.  She stood up and brushed off the snow dust off of her clothes.  At her request, they slid down the hill a few more times until Arnav finally put his foot down.

"I know you're really enjoying this but I have something else planned for today too.  I'm sure you'll like that just as much as this, if not more."  He said ushering away towards their next destination.

They were back in their car, driving away when she turned to him with a puppy face, making him feel bad.

"Stop that.  I swear you'll like this adventure too.  If you don't, I promise I'll bring you back here."  Arnav stated honestly.

Khushi gave in at last.  She figured that she might as well approach the next adventure with an open mind considering what an amazing time she had at the previous one.

Once again, they got off at some kind of resort with lots of surrounding snow.  Here, the snow was deeper than the last place.  As they walked closer to the cabin which looked like a barn, Khushi saw the slope behind it and saw people sliding down...in a different manner than snow-tubing.  She turned to him in a whiff.

"We're skiing?"

Arnav scoffed.  "No.  I have something else planned."

A few minutes later, she was handed a snowsuit and a helmet.  She raised an eyebrow at the equipment in her hand but went and got ready anyway.  She held her goggles in her hand and made her way back to Arnav.  He put a gloved hand on her back and led her towards an exit.  A few meters ahead, there was a ski lift which was taking riders high up into the mountain.

She openly admired the beauty of the location with its bright white snow and dark-green evergreen pine trees.  When they got off at the other end of the lift, they walked through yet another cabin.

Arnav held the door open for her while she walked out and then froze in the doorway when she saw what was awaiting her.  A Snowmobile.  Before she had time to say anything, Arnav was already seated behind the controls, waiting for her to take her seat behind him.

She couldn't deny that she was disappointed a bit.  What's so fun about driving around in a snowmobile anyway?  She'd rather go back to the other place and take a couple more slides down the hill.  She took her seat behind him anyway and immediately realized how close they would be for this 'adventure'.

Arnav turned his head to the side.  "You better hold on tight."

She placed her hands on his shoulders lightly.  Arnav started the mobile and drove off and headed up a small hill marked by small orange cones.  When they were almost at the top, Arnav warned her to hold on tight but she didn't take it seriously.

She regretted it the very next second when Arnav's snowmobile picked up speed and shot down the slope.  With a yelp, she placed her hands around Arnav's waist one by one and held on for dear life.  Her move must've alarmed him because in the next couple of seconds, he lost control over the speed and now they were going even faster than before.

Khushi felt adrenaline rush into her veins as the path started twisting and turning, sloping up and down repeatedly.  She was amazed at how coolly Arnav manoeuvred the vehicle on the twisted path.  The confidence with which he looked ahead at the road and how he sat straight-spined and strong on the vehicle was kind of sexy to Khushi.

With every lurch of the mobile, she felt herself push into Arnav's muscled back and felt herself blush.  After about fifteen minutes on this adventure, Khushi found herself enjoying every bit of it.  The thrill and excitement of the speed, the feeling of rushing past heaps of snow and leaving it flying about in dust behind them, the warm adrenaline in her veins--all summed up to an amazing time.

She found her spirits sinking as he slowed down on a long stretch of flat ground.  The area was at least as big as three football fields.  He took her arms off from his waist and got off.  He lifted off his helmet and Khushi was floored by the look on his face.  His face was alight with excitement, his eyes dancing, a hint of red on his cheeks from the adrenaline rush.  She felt her stomach explode in a burst of butterflies and he shook his matted hair free.  She forced herself to stop staring at him when he looked at her.

He jerked his head towards his seat, gesturing for her to drive.  She shook her head vigorously and took off her own helmet.  Arnav crossed his arms and frowned at her.  She still looked horrified.  She glanced between him and the controller.

"Hmm.  I thought I married a woman who liked challenges."  He challenged her openly.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  Her expression settled into a calm and confident one and Arnav smirked, knowing that he'd gotten his way by crook.  She quickly took the seat behind the controller to prove him wrong.  With a smug smirk, he took the seat behind her.  With help from Arnav, Khushi learnt how to drive the insane vehicle.

Once they got back to the resort where they were staying, both were too exhausted from the day's activities and fell asleep in minutes.  Much to Khushi's annoyance, Arnav woke her up an hour past midnight.  She moaned and groaned as she changed and walked out of the resort room.

They boarded his private jet again and flew off to their next destination.  Still exhausted, both spent majority of their flight sleeping.  In fact, Khushi was so tired that she was still half asleep when Arnav helped her out to their car.

Khushi completely woke up after she had a chance to freshen up at their hotel room and have a healthy breakfast.

"So where have you brought me now?"

"You didn't realize it all the way here?"  Arnav looked at her seriously.

Khushi gave him a bored look.  "No.  I was too busy catching up on my sleep because you woke me up at one in the morning."

Arnav gave her a sheepish smile.  "I guess we'll keep our location a surprise then...but when you dress to leave, make sure you dress for the beach."

"The beach?  But its winter time and there's all that sn--" She cut off mid sentence when she realized that there was bright yellow sunlight pouring into their room from the window.

She gasped and put her coffee cup down before rushing to the window.  She looked around the snowless city they were in now with her mouth slightly open.  The green trees were swaying in gentle breezes.  People were in summer clothes riding bikes or walking around on the street below.

"I had Payal Bhabhi pack a few summer clothes from your closet...you should have a few outfits.  Now go and change, we're getting late!"  He said impatiently.

Khushi controlled the urge to give him a big kiss on his cheek and skipped merrily to the washroom.  When she was showered and changed, she stepped out and was surprise to find that Arnav was gone.

"Gone to check today's plan.  Be back by 11" Said a note that he'd left on the mirror.

Khushi had just finished brushing her hair when Arnav stepped in.

"Khushi...everything's set.  We'll head out if you--" He cut off mid sentence as he took in the sight in front of him.

Khushi stood in front of him in a pair of black shorts which ended a few inches above her knees matched with a green camouflage patterned tank top.  Her hair fell in loose waves and her face glowed without any help from any make-up product.

Arnav couldn't stop his eyes from giving her a thorough scan from head to toe and he was sure she noticed him looking at her.  But he didn't care.  Ever since he'd met her, he had either seen her in business casuals or Indian suits and sarees.  This was a new change for him and he loved it.  He'd always seen her in the light which described her beautiful, cute, and sweet.  Today was the first time he was seeing her in a light which invited adjectives such as 'sultry', 'hot', and even 'sexy'.

"Should I change into something else?" She questioned, mistaking his stare as his disapproval of the outfit.

"NO!...I mean...no.  There's no time for that...and...Well...you...I mean...this...you look fine."  He stammered.

Khushi, herself, was surprised at seeing Arnav in a simple white polo shirt and black jeans.  She wished he dressed like that more often rather than his business suits and track suits.

Just like the day before, they were on the road again and Khushi was stirring in her seat, too excited and curious to not ask where they were going but Arnav decided to keep mute about it.  She had now figured out that they were in Florida.  She tried to distract her curious mind by admiring the beautiful city.

*

"Oh come on.  Just like you liked snow-tubing and snowmobiling, you'll like this too!"  Arnav tried to convince her.

Khushi gulped as she looked skywards at the two small dots that were supposed to be people, harnessed to a sail.

"I've gone parasailing before, you'll be fine.  I'll be with you the entire time."  He said lovingly, trying to coax her.

She clicked her tongue impatiently.  "You can kiss your arm goodbye."  She frowned at him, giving in.

He chuckled and urged her towards their boat.  She took Arnav's hand with authority when getting on to the boat and much to Arnav's surprise, she didn't let go after that. 

Once their boat had travelled a fair distance from the shore, the instructors started harnessing the lovely couple to the giant balloon which would carry them skywards.

When the tethered rope started giving way, their balloon rose high up in the air until the boat was the size of a penny below them.  Khushi was in a burst of giggles as her feet dangled in the air, her hair flew around in the wind, and her hand safely secured in Arnav's.

She had never imagined that she would be 'flying' in the sky quite so literally.  The joy of being so free at that height with her life-partner brought her a sweet joy and she was highly disappointed when their balloon started descending towards the water again.

Once they'd left the beach, all Khushi could do was talk about her experience of her first parasail.  Arnav added his comments and nods where applicable but otherwise just listened to her blabber away excitedly.  He was waiting for her to ask him about their next adventure but she never did.  When the car stopped, Arnav turned to her and noticed the inevitable excitement on her face.

"You know...I'm surprised you haven't asked me where we're going now."  He said honestly.

Khushi shrugged.  "Everywhere you've taken me so far...I've had a great time.  I think I'm done asking you questions...you never answer them anyway..."

Arnav smiled and stepped out of the car.  As usual, he held the door open for her.  Within the next ten minutes, Khushi knew where she was and even though her knees felt weak with all the tingling, she didn't let it show on her face.

Her pretense however, didn't hold too well in front of Arnav.  He placed a hand on her shoulder once they were harnessed.

"We'll be jumping together.  It's not as scary as it looks, I promise.  I've been bungee jumping a lot of times."  He reassured her.

When it was their turn, the sun was hovering a small distance from the horizon.  As they approached the edge of the platform, Khushi clutched his arm again.  She panicked momentarily when he pulled her hand off of his arm but the feeling of safety was restored when he put his hand around her waist and pulled her closer.  For her, his iron grip around her was more assuring than all the safety straps and locks she was donning at the moment.  She looked at him gratefully and he returned her a dazzling smile.

"Okay, so your arms will go around his waist and you're going to clasp the wrist of one of your hands with your other hand."

Melissa, the lady working as the bungee jump instructor, guided Khushi's arms around his waist.  Khushi was still standing a little distance away.

"No no.  We don't want too much gap. You will stand so that the toes of both yours and his are in a straight line."

Melissa moved Khushi closer and it wouldn't be wrong to say there was no gap in between them at all.

"Your arms, buddy, will go around her upper back as securely as you can manage."

Arnav did as told.  Melissa then went on to position their heads:  Khushi' head turned to the left and resting on his right shoulder while his heard turned to the right and rested on her head.

 "Whenever you're ready Khushi."  He smiled teasingly.

Khushi took a deep breath in and let it out.  Not having enough nerves to speak, she just nodded.

"On a count of four then." Melissa said.  "One...Two..."  And then Melissa pushed them off, clearly cheating them by two numbers.

Khushi let out a scream at the surprise and when they'd jumped to the end, the elastic recoiled and pulled them up a few meters and dropped them again.  This time, Khushi was all giggles and Arnav was all smiles. 

As they were just beginning to stop moving, Khushi turned to Arnav and their noses bumped.  Instead of moving their heads back, neither moved an inch.  Both of them, however, were definitely thankful for being up-side down--gravity had pulled all the blood into their heads which very effectively concealed their blushes.  Khushi desperately willed the butterflies in her stomach to settle down while Arnav willed himself to not kiss her senseless then and there.

Once they were still, the apparatus up on the platform had begun to pull them up again.  The entire while Melissa was taking their harness off, the two couldn't help but smile widely at each other.

"You'll get the DVD of your jump downstairs.  Great job guys!"  Melissa chimed as the two left the platform.

Khushi was stunned into silence by the exhilarating experience.  Once they'd reached the entrance downstairs, Arnav picked up their DVD and then the two headed back to their car.

"I had no idea you were into extreme sports...I mean...Akash mentioned it but I wasn't expecting this level of extreme."  Khushi was honestly surprised.

Arnav shrugged.  "I didn't think I'd be into them either...it was Aman who got me started."

"And now you've pulled me into it.  Seriously, Arnav...at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if you have me skydiving next."

Yet she was surprised the next day when that is exactly what he did.  They'd packed after returning from their bungee jump and they were to head home the next day but Arnav informed her during their drive home that they had one more stop to make.  And as she had joked earlier, he had brought her to a skydiving facility.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be surprised."  Arnav teased.

"Well, it was a figure of speech?  I don't know but this is absolutely insane!"  Khushi paused and Arnav looked at her uneasily.  Then she turned to him and put her hand on his shoulder.  "Let's do this!"  She grinned broadly, her eyes twinkling with excited anticipation.

Arnav almost pulled her into a giant hug but held back the urge as the two made their way into the building.  After hours of education on the process of diving, Arnav and Khushi made their way to their plane.

"Your seat will be over there..." Mark, the instructor and their videographer pointed out to Arnav.

Arnav took his seat and Mark turned to Khushi.  "You'll be sitting right in front of him."

Khushi looked at Arnav and then back at Mark.  "You mean...as in..."

"In his lap, technically.  It is tandem skydiving..."  Mark said coolly. 

Khushi swallowed a lump in her throat and gingerly took a seat in front of Arnav.  His legs cradled her on either side and she blushed a deep crimson.  She momentarily wondered whether or not Arnav was aware that this would be necessary.  She couldn't help but also wonder whether this was why he'd chosen this activity.

As the plane started taking off, the angle made Khushi slide towards Arnav until they were dangerously close to each other.  Once they were parallel to the ground again, Arnav and Mark started attaching Khushi's harness to Arnav's.

Once they were ready, Mark guided them towards the exit.  As Arnav and Khushi took their position to jump, Mark tilted Khushi's head back so that it was resting on Arnav shoulder.

"This will minimize the whiplash."  He explained.  "Okay then...three...two...one...and JUMP!"

At his countdown, Arnav and Khushi leaped out of the plane.  Khushi let out a scream--somewhat scared, somewhat excited.  Arnav let out a 'woo-hoo' as the adrenaline rushed in his veins.

Khushi yelped every now and then as they twisted, turned, and somersaulted in the air.  When it was time, Arnav released the parachute and they slowed down.  Khushi closed her eyes and with a huge smile on her face, lived the beautiful moment.

Once they landed, Mark detached their harnesses.  The very next moment, Khushi squealed, turned to Arnav and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him.  She expressed her joy in waves of unstoppable giggles.  Arnav chuckled along with her as he wrapped his arms around her.

Mark made sure he captured all these special moments for the couple.

On their way back to their house, Khushi was looking out the window, daydreaming the moments she'd spent with Arnav and evaluating the changes in her feelings towards him when someone waved their hand in front of her eyes.

(End of Flashback)

Khushi blinked and realized that she had been daydreaming about her past...the happy part of her past.  Now, she stood in her office, in front of her children who were giggling at her.

"Mama...I'm hungry!"  Aditya held his stomach.

Khushi glanced at her watch and realized it was near lunch time.  She smiled at her son and headed out of her office with Adi and Amber.

Just outside of her office, when she walked out, Arnav put down the newspaper and looked at her.  She glanced at the paper and noticed the same skydiving ad she was looking at.

"I'm going for lunch; can you put the list of my afternoon's agenda on my desk when it's ready?"  She spoke normally to him.

"Yeah sure.  It's ready.  I'll put it on your desk."

Khushi gave him a very small, very controlled smile and walked away with Adi and amber who gave Arnav high-fives before leaving.

Arnav looked at the newspaper ad and smiled at the memories he'd been recollecting.