Her heart nearly jumped out of her rib cage every time he hugged her these days. She had chided herself for acting like a teenager around him. What with all the blushing and the shy glances and the butterflies in her stomach?? She could go on and on about that for ever.
So now she sat there in her office, on a boring Thursday afternoon, trying to find a way to get rid of the stupid fluttering feeling in her stomach. Why was the feeling there? Because he was sitting right in front of her talking about some upcoming charity event and she had registered no words so far. She groaned out loud without realizing.
"Are you okay?" Arnav questioned her, concerned laced his voice.
"Uh...Yeah...yeah I am. I just...leave me the details. I'll take a look at them." Khushi smiled at him to make sure she didn't sound rude.
"Okay. I'll leave you the details." He closed the file and stood up.
Khushi was somewhat relieved but somewhat disappointed. He'd agreed just like that. Didn't he feel any of the stupid things she was feeling when they were together? She looked at him curiously as he moved from his place but instead of leaving, he walked around the table, dragging a chair with him and sat down next to her. With the same confidence that he'd dug up from God knows where, he reached out and easily took one of her hands between both of his.
"What's bothering you, Khushi? I've noticed it all day. You've been fidgety...you look somewhat lost too." Arnav frowned slightly, trying to read her expression.
"Nothing's bothering me, Arnav...I've just been thinking about things. Nothing to worry about." She smiled at him reassuringly.
His expression because serious, slightly alarmed even. "Is it me?" He asked, his grip on her hand already loosening. "Am I...Have I been...you know...making you...uncomfortable?" His eyes darted down to their hands before he looked back at her.
Khushi raised her eyebrows. "What makes you think that?"
Arnav cringed slightly and shrugged but otherwise didn't give her a verbal response. Khushi sighed.
"I will tell you when I feel you're making me uncomfortable, trust me. It's just...okay see...I've noticed that you've been different since Monday...and I'm just wondering...what caused the change?"
Arnav looked a little relaxed and then his expression turned sheepish. "I had some...well...advice...from Kripa."
"That nosy meddler." Khushi said lovingly, thinking of her insane friend.
Arnav chuckled. "She may be but she made me understand...I hadn't realized that I was coming across that way...why didn't you tell me?" His tone sounded almost hurt.
"Because as much as I know you...I know how much effort you must be putting in and you've been trying your best. Kripa is a little more impatient than I am...I would have eventually brought up the topic with you. I told you about the hugs, didn't I? I thought we should take it one step at a time." Khushi smiled at him.
He nodded thoughtfully before smiling back and the damned butterflies were back in her stomach.
"So nothing's bothering you?" Arnav looked at her face again. "Tum theek ho?"
Khushi almost chuckled at his still worried tone. "Yes Arnav. I'm fine...but I won't be if this event doesn't go through properly...so what were you saying about it?"
He had stood, letting go of her hand and had gone back to explaining the details of the event to her. Much to Khushi's surprise, she found herself actually paying attention this time around.
---
It was another typical day, another typical night, and Khushi found herself sitting on the same bench by the rose bush. She gazed up at the full moon. The soothing aroma of the roses relaxed her. The hard work of the roses and their scent, however, was being rendered somewhat useless by the pair of eyes that were burning her face under their heated gaze.
She swallowed and turned to look at him. Arnav gave her a tantalizing lopsided smile. They stared at each other for a long time and some distant part of her brain registered his left arm draped around her shoulders, his right hand holding onto hers. She smiled at him and turned back to look at the moon.
"It's very beautiful isn't it?" She looked awed.
A moment's silence, and then he spoke in a husky voice. "Yes you are."
She turned to look at him again, blood rushing up to her cheeks. Her eyes fell on the small smile on his face and stopped. The sudden inexplicable urge to have those lips touch hers, made her heart flutter.
Not aware of what was on her mind, he withdrew his arm from around her and gently caressed her crimson shaded cheek with his knuckles. She closed her eyes at his touch, her spine tingling slightly. She could feel her free hand moving to his forehead. She brushed away a couple of strands that were falling onto his forehead.
She continued tracing his features lightly with her fingers. His eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, the high cheekbones, the strong jaw, the small chin, and his thin lips...her fingers lingered against his bottom lip. That was hint enough, right? He would understand what she was suggesting, wouldn't he?
But when he didn't respond, her hand moved along his jaw to behind his ear, and from there, made its way towards the back of his head. She wrapped her delicate fingers around his nape gently and found herself moving closer while moving his face closer to hers. That had to be a good enough hint.
Her heartbeat thundered in her chest when she saw him understand and move closer ever so slowly. He still had his eyes closed; his breath was caught as was hers. After another few moments filled with painful anticipation, his lips touched hers ever so gently.
A gasp escaped Khushi's lips and her eyes flew open. She felt a weird pang in her heart as she registered her surroundings. Her alarm was blaring and she shut it up with a quick slap on a button. She looked around her room and with an air of disappointment; she realized that it was just a dream. Her hand reached up to her face until her fingertips touched her lips. Her heart skipped multiple beats as she recalled the moment their lips had touched in her dream. Suddenly, her cheeks were on fire along with the rest of her body. She knew her face probably resembled a tomato right now.
What on earth was that?? Great! Now I'm dreaming about the Laad governor! Snap out of it Khushi. It will take months before that happens! He just started hugging you properly. Keep your hormones in check!
It took everything in her power for her to stop thinking about the damned dream. It became easier to keep those thoughts at bay as she readied Amber and Aditya for school. The kids were extra excited when she dropped them off at school. It was Friday, the weekend was here and that meant that their buddy was going to sleep over at their house tonight and tomorrow night. Khushi smiled to herself as she heard them plan what games they would play and what movies they would watch with him. She recalled how domestically normal the last week had felt.
As she waved her kids goodbye, she thought back on how Arnav had consoled her and tried to calm her down on the twins' first day at school. She smiled to herself as she got into the car and started driving towards the orphanage. She was glad that he had taken her seriously when she'd told him that he could hug her whenever he wanted. She was glad that he had taken Kripa's advice so seriously, too. He'd been getting better with the small embraces of course, but the last few parting hugs were very different. Khushi had instantly picked up on the change in his body language. There had been a lot of affection and warmth in these hugs with the tiniest hint of possessiveness. It had made her smile then, and it made her smile wider now as she parked her car a few minutes later.
At work, both were professional enough to keep their display of affection at bay. A gentle touch on the arm or shoulder was enough to get the message across. There was no need for her to kiss his cheek or hug him. They saved all that for their private moments. Like when they shared that coffee every time after dinner.
Khushi winced inwardly as that thought brought back the dream in her mind. She turned the corner at the end of the hallway towards her office, continuing the feel of a thousand butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
"Morning." His manly voice made her jump as she snapped out of her thoughts.
Her eyes found his face instantly and she smiled her greeting to him. To his utter confusion, a deep shade of red took over her cheeks as she looked away. Not knowing what to say, he cleared his throat and said the first thing that came to his mind.
"The twins are at school?"
Khushi turned to look at him again. "Yeah...I bet you're glad you didn't have to see my childish crying again..."
Arnav bit his lip to hide a smirk and that instantly grabbed Khushi's attention. The bench by the rose bush. Full moon. Their kiss. The stupid erratic dream. Her whole face was red within seconds and Arnav was left in confusion as she scurried off into her cabin. Arnav didn't have much time to think about what her reaction could have meant because the phone rang precisely the moment her door closed.
The two busied themselves with their respective tasks for the majority part of the day. After lunch, however, the minutes crawled painfully for Arnav. It was as if time had suddenly slowed down and pushed away the moment of their privacy even further. Today was the day when he had a surprise planned for her. Unlike their usual dinners, he had planned a visit to the beach today. The last time they'd been there, they'd discussed their feelings about this new beginning they'd started. His purpose today was similar. He wanted to discuss the children this time.
It had cropped up in his mind lately. When would be a good time to tell the kids who he was? Was she ready to tell them? Would she agree with his opinion of not telling them yet? Yes, as her kids, Aditya and Amber deserved to know that he was the man their mother was dating. They deserved to know that their buddy was their father but Arnav was afraid. Khushi had been honest with her decision. There were no promises. Though things were going well between them, there was no guarantee that she would come back in life, come back home with him. Amber and Aditya would only end up more hurt if they found out that Buddy' was their father but they all couldn't stay together. Telling the children that he was their father was a big step, for both him and for Khushi...and he felt that this information was best undisclosed until Arnav and Khushi were sure of their future.
He looked at the clock for the umpteenth time. Khushi still wasn't back from her rehearsals in the basement. Almost everyone had gone home now except for the usual matrons who stayed to monitor the kids at night. It was nearly 8pm. A nagging feeling of unease took him out of his chair and he made his way downstairs to where the dance studio was set up. He heard the music before he saw the room. A tinkling laughter of a few girls echoed in the hallway. He knocked on the door, feeling a little weird...as if he was invading a private party. One of the girls opened the door and let him in.
His breath caught in his throat as he saw Khushi dancing with another couple of girls. The girl who had opened the door joined them as well. Arnav stood there awkwardly; trying not to stare at his wife as she gracefully walked the girls through a couple of steps. Her eyes caught his through the mirror they were dancing in front of and she turned around to face him, with a smile on her face. Arnav swallowed. Her skin was glowing and her face was flushed from the exertion but she looked happy. She instructed the girls to continue the practice and walked up to him. They walked into the hall and closed the door a little behind her.
"Sorry...This lasted longer than I expected...it's like the routine is just flowing...we've already managed to get half of it done!" Khushi looked over her shoulder at the girls who were repeating their steps in perfect synchronization. She turned to look at Arnav again.
"I just wanted to see if everything was okay." Arnav couldn't come up with a better excuse because he, himself, didn't know why he was there.
Khushi smiled at him and her eyebrows arched up, almost teasingly. "I haven't forgotten about our date, if that's what you're confirming."
Was that really why he was here? Arnav looked at her for a couple of seconds and then bit his lip. Khushi cursed in her mind. He had to stop doing that when she was around. Especially after that dream of hers!
"Look...why don't you go to my place? Amber and Aditya will be more than enough to keep you occupied. If not them, I'm sure Aman will keep you entertained. I'll have to go home and get ready anyway after this...it will take time. There's no point in you sitting around here getting bored." Khushi tried t explain.
Arnav considered it. She was right. There was no point in sitting around. She had her car with her so they would be driving home in different vehicles anyway. He agreed to her suggestion, somewhat reluctantly.
"I'll see you soon. I'll try to wrap up here as soon as possible." She smiled at him and reached up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. As she pulled back, Arnav grabbed a hold of her hand, making her heartbeat race. He smiled at her faintly, squeezed her hand once and left.
An hour later, Khushi found herself in her cabin again, gathering things she would need to take home. She felt tired after four hours of continuous practice but it was worth it. Besides, at this moment, she was too busy thinking about what this surprise could be. Arnav had made sure he dropped no hints about it. All he had said was that they needed to talk and that it was important.
She was just about to leave when the phone rang. Khushi shook her head and smiled thinking it must be Arnav, calling to see if she had left.
"Hello?" Khushi answered the phone.
"Hello...is this Hope orphanage?" The man asked.
"Yes it is...who am I speaking to?" Khushi frowned and glanced at the clock. Who would call the orphanage at this hour?
"Hello M'am. I'm Inspector Satish Rao. I'm looking for Khushi Singh Raizada."
Khushi frowned even deeper. Why the hell was an inspector calling her? A mild sense of panic settled over her heart. "I'm Khushi Singh Raizada. How may I help you?"
"I'm calling from the city hospital. I have Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada admitted here. I believe he's associated with your organization?"
Khushi's heart skipped multiple beats before it started racing. She felt the breath catch in her throat painfully. "He's my husband. Is he alright?"
"The doctors are attending to him right now. We found his identification along with your contact card in his wallet. He was found injured on SK road. Would you be able to come to the hospital for some paperwork?"
Khushi curtly responded to his question, hung up, and rushed out of the building at once. She got into her car, and probably for the first time in her life, she drove like a madwoman towards the hospital.
The most excruciating twenty minutes later, she hastily parked in a parking spot and ran through the lot to reach the receptionist.
"Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada?" She breathed heavily and fidgeted impatiently waiting for the receptionist to look up his name.
"Room 601." The slow receptionist gave Khushi a look as Khushi ran towards the staircase, not bothering to wait for an elevator.
When she found the room, she flung the door open without knocking and hurried in. She paused for a moment when she saw him awake-but groggy- on the bed. She half ran to his side and immediately took his hand in hers.
"Are you alright? What happened? How do you feel?" She bombarded him with questions.
Arnav registered her presence and smiled faintly.
"It's not funny!" She exclaimed, glowering at him. Tears finally rushed into her eyes.
"I know." He whispered weakly.
"Then why the hell are you smiling?" She asked accusingly.
"Because you're here. With me...that...makes me...me...happy." He trailed off and closed his eyes.
Khushi panicked for a moment but then realized that the sedatives must not have worn off yet. She looked at the bandage around his forehead and even a bigger dressing on his left upper arm. She wiped her cheek and sniffed but the tears wouldn't stop. She hugged his hand to her chest and closed her eyes, praying to Devi Maiyya, thanking her for the fact that he was okay. None of the horrible thoughts that had come to her mind were true. Or so she thought.
An hour later, Khushi opened her eyes and realizing that she'd fallen asleep, hastily turned to look at Arnav. He was staring right back at her with a faint smile on his lips. She was still holding onto his hand possessively.
"How do you feel?" Khushi asked, her free hand flying up to gently caress the bandage on his forehead.
"I feel alright. Are you okay? You looked really worried." He brushed a strand of her hair off her face, tucked it behind her ear and cupped her cheek gently.
"Of course I was worried! I randomly get a call saying you're in the hospital. Of course I got worried. What the hell happened?" Khushi frowned.
"That's what we want to know as well, actually." Three policemen walked in, interrupting the conversation.
"I'm inspector Satish Rao." He nodded at both of them and looked at Khushi. The inspector didn't show any reaction to her presence and turned to Arnav.
"Mr. Raizada, you have no serious injuries and would have been discharged by tomorrow but we've prevented your discharge for now. You're a suspect in this case and we have to wait for the others involved to regain consciousness and get everyone's statements." Inspector Rao said with a stern expression and a cold voice.
Arnav looked confused out of his mind. Him? A suspect? For what?
Khushi looked back and forth between Mr. Rao and Arnav once. "Excuse me...what case?" Khushi asked the inspector.
"I'm sorry. We can't discuss this with outsiders." Mr. Rao's eyes were just as cold as his voice.
Khushi didn't like the man but she nodded and stood up to leave but Arnav was still holding onto her hand.
"She's my wife. I want her to stay here." Arnav spoke with the finality of ASR ringing in his voice.
Khushi felt a tiny burst of joy when he addressed her as his wife. She squeezed his hand tenderly. Mr. Rao gave Khushi a glance before turning his icy stare on Arnav.
"Well, if you really want to discuss this in her presence. So be it." Mr. Rao spoke and Khushi sat down and glared at him. She really didn't like him. At all.
"What case am I a suspect for?" Arnav glared back at the man. Arnav had an uneasy feeling about this. His mind vaguely recalled a physical fight but as far as Arnav could remember back on the night, he hadn't killed anyone, or done anything illegal. His mind was still foggy from the medications it seemed and the only thing that was clear in his head at this moment was that the woman he loved to bits was here with him, holding onto his hand. Apart from that, nothing else mattered.
Inspector Rao gave Khushi a weary glance before turning a stone cold glance in Arnav's direction. "Mr. Raizada, you are one of the four individuals suspected for involvement in a gang rape case."
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