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Part 10
With his face inches away from her and her heart racing, Khushi looked at him and said, "I repeat Arnav, I am an adult and I know how to handle people like him"
Tightening his hold and pulling her even closer, Arnav said, "And I repeat Khushi, promise you won't work for them and I will drop you home"
Enraged at his highhandedness, Khushi tried to push him back with both hands, "Who are you to behave like this with me, as a friend you can only advise me and it's my CHOICE to take your advice or not.."
Still not releasing her, Arnav said softly, "Fine...then I'm not letting you go..."
Khushi had never seen this stubborn side of Arnav... She peered at his face in the dim light...he looked tired, exhausted even with his eyes puffy from lack of sleep..
She tried to reason with him, "Arnav, you are engaged...you are going to marry Sheetal in two weeks...you have no business behaving like this with me...forcing me to come to your apartment...Kkissing me", She stammered before breaking into tears...
"What do you want from me? She said sobbing.
As Arnav tried to pull her in a hug, Khushi pushed him away forcefully, "STOP messing with three lives...HAVE YOU GONE MAD?
With his eyes flashing and his jaw clenched, Arnav put one hand around her waist to pull her close against me, "Yes I HAVE GONE MAD...I haven't slept in weeks..I have thoughts that go around and around in circles inside my head...I can't stop thinking about you...no matter how hard I try...I'm going crazy Khushi..."
As Khushi gazed at him, he continued, "You want to know why...because I LOVE YOU and I can't STOP loving you no matter how hard I try..."
Cupping her face with both hands, he said intently. "I need you Khushi...I need you in my life so badly.."
A part of her was happy that her love was reciprocated, but she also realized the hopelessness of their situation..and being the kind of girl she was, she knew that if she were to be the cause of Arnav breaking his engagement with Sheetal, she will never never be able to respect herself again...
She removed his hands from her face and said resolutely, "It's too late Arnav...and I really need to go home now..."
As she turned to go, Arnav hugged her tightly from behind and nuzzling her neck said, "Don't go Khushi...I'll tell Sheetal about us tomorrow..."
Turning around with her eyes flashing with anger, "You will do nothing of the sort...do you think it's a joke...the wedding date is fixed, cards have been printed and sent out...how can you even think of doing this to Sheetal...you were supposed to be in love with her...how easy is it for you to fall out of love with someone..."
"I was never in love with her.." Arnav began but Khushi interrupted him
"And may I remind you, Mr Raizada. You were the one who told me that it's common for people to imagine emotions that are not there, when they have been in the shoes of an onscreen couple for long..."
"I was in denial Khushi, and I wanted you to move on with your life...Now the show is over, I don't even think about it, or our characters anymore...It's about us ..Arnav and Khushi...and our real life..."
Holding her by her waist again, Arnav gazed in her eyes and said softly, "It's real Khushi...we are not imagining it..."
Khushi's body relaxed as she felt herself getting lost in the caramel pools of his eyes...
As Arnav pulled her closer against his body, Khushi felt herself getting intoxicated by the smell of his cologne and the warmth of his body against her..
Khushi closed her eyes as she felt his lips and his warm breath against the creamy silkiness of her neck...then as Arnav claimed her lips hungrily, Khushi hugged him back and reciprocated his passion in equal measure...
"I will learn to live with the memory of these momemts..." she thought..
Arnav carried her inside and sat down in the couch with Khushi in his lap...as he kissed her again and again, it was like raindrops falling on parched land after a long, dry season...
After a long time, Khushi pushed him as he bent his head to kiss her yet another time...
"I have to go " Khushi said trying to remove his arms from around her..
"And if I don't let you go..." Arnav said with his eyes smouldering..
Khushi sat gazing at his face as if trying to memorize every detail,
"Arnav...?"
"Hmmm" Arnav said caressing the back of her neck..
"If you really love me, would you do something for me?
"Anything for you, Khushi.." Arnav said rubbing his stubble against her soft cheeks...
"Promise?
"Promise..." Arnav said lifting his head and looking at her...
Khushi got up from his lap and looking down at him said, "Then promise, we won't ever meet again after today..."
Arnav stared at her in disbelief and then getting angry said, "No...I'm going to tell Sheetal about us tomorrow..."
"You promised Arnav...do promises mean nothing to you...like when you got engaged with Sheetal ..it was like a promise to her to spend the rest of your lives together...how can you forget that so easily..."
"But I don't love her...I love you ...don't you get that?
"So you were only using Sheetal for her connections...you didn't love her but you got engaged to her and very coveniently got your future father in law to produce your debut movie...that movie made you a star overnight and now again very conveniently , you will break off the engagement...saying you had never loved her..."
Looking at him through a film of tears, Khushi said, " Do you think you will be able to live happily with me putting our self respects at stake?
"Because, I won't be able to " Khushi said bursting in tears..
Arnav got up and gathered her in a hug cradling her head in his neck...as he stroked her hair gently...
"I don't know how long my mother is going to live, but I don't want to give her any reason to be ashamed of me..."
Part 11 on page 43
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