The Pursuit of Love[7] - Link to thread 8 on P141

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Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. - C. S. Lewis

The Pursuit of Love

This work of fiction is greatly inspired by the serial "Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon", books I have read and people I have met. The characters are similar to that in the serial, although the content, situations and style of writing are mine.

I would love to read your comments and suggestions, I would not promise to include all in my writing and would like to add, constructive criticism is always welcome; it would greatly help the story and my effort to stay true to the concept. I am relatively new to writing and though I enjoy it immensely, my ability at writing regular updates is limited. The update soon comments, honestly cannot be honored as I mentioned earlier, cannot type that fast.

I request you not to copy/duplicate this work, it's petty to plagiarize and sincerely hope you enjoy my work, like and comment. In case you do find my work interesting enough to recommend to others, please direct them to this page. I strictly prohibit unauthorized use of this fan fiction in parts or whole.

Thank you for reading, please do hit the like and leave a comment if you found the update/story interesting enough. I do send out PMs to those who do so, as I would not want to flood anybody's inbox if they are not interested in reading or receiving PMs for this story. Alternatively, you can also block my name if you don't wish to receive PMs from me, I would not mind. I would want you to enjoy my writing and not like it to be forced.

Once again, thank you for reading

- Kalyaani

Important - I tend to fix a face to a character when I read and am doing so with my story as well, it helps me relate to them and it gets easier to describe their characteristics and behaviour. The important ones are listed below; you may choose others if you like.

Characters

Arnav Singh Raizada (Barun Sobti)

Ahalya Singh Raizada (Deepti Naval)

Anjali Jha (Daljeet Kaur)

Shyam Manohar Jha (Abhass Mehta)

Jhanvi Jha (Ashnoor Kaur)

Akash Singh Raizada (Akshay Dogra)

Payal Singh Raizada (Deepali Pansare)

Devyani Singh Raizada (Jayashree T)

Mahendra Sharma (Girish Karnad)

Manorama Sharma (Utkarsha Naik)

Ajit Singh Raizada (Kulbhushan Karbandha)

Sukanya Singh Raizada (Jayaprada)

Lavanya Kashyap (Sana Khan)

Khushi Gupta (Sanaya Irani)

Shashi Gupta (Ananth Nag)

Garima Gupta (Pyomori Mehta)

Kushal Gupta (Kushal Tandon)

Madhumathi Mishra (Suhasini Mulay)

Girish Kalluri (Divakar Pundir)

Farhan Contractor (Homi Adjani)

Note - Some of the people mentioned are known faces, for the rest, visit our trusted friend, Google.

Thread 1 - Chapters 1 to 29 / Thread 2 - Chapter 30 to 42 / Thread 3 - Chapter 43 to 51

Thread 4 - Chapters 52 to 59 / Thread 5 - Chapters 60 to 66C / Thread 6 - Chapters 66D to 72

Chapter 73

Khushi was dumbfounded by his words.  She was looking at him with steady and unblinking eyes as if verifying some fact. Arnav had just told her in his inimitable style that he loved her and the thought had not filled her with joy but a sense of relief, now she needed nothing else. She was ready to be Khushi, that Khushi who would live for herself and now with Arnav. His breath was hot on her face, as his eyes bore into hers, shouting his love, desire and anger through his eyes. A sudden shiver ran down her spine at the intensity of his emotions and Arnav loosened his grip, letting his palms slide down her arms and took a step back. "Arnav" she said so softly, he did not hear but stood still as he saw her lips move. She bridged the gap and took his face in her palms, "Arnav" she took his name again her voice soft and firm as his eyes softened marginally.

"I can't do this anymore" she started and Arnav's anger returned. But she moved a thumb on his lower lip to stop him from saying anything. He drew in a sharp breath but continued looking at her as his hands disobediently held on to her waist. "Have you ever wondered why I was drawn to you in the first place, despite the number of occasions where I have felt you are the last man I would want to be around? Yet here I am with you and I too am done battling this war between yes and no. I have forced myself to think the worst of us getting together and I have had many opportunities to pull back, but I did not. Do you know why? Not in some corner of my heart but my whole heart knew, whatever he may say or do he is a genuine man with infinite tenderness and love for the people who matter to him. They need not necessarily be related to him and that man I fell in love with. I love you Arnav and I don't even know from when" Khushi said this with such warmth and genuineness, Arnav held his breath throughout.

The look of utter disbelief on his face brought a smile on hers. As her eyes touched his face and then his soul, she leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. When he did not blink or move but continued to stare at her, she gripped his face tighter. "I have always known loving you would not be easy, yet I love you and am in love with you. You were right in calling me a hypocrite; I have wanted you and wanted you bad. But you have to believe me when I say this, I am scared Arnav and I do have trust issues" Here she paused as the lump that was growing in her throat was the size of a fist and did not allow her to continue. Arnav stood unmoving, processing what she was saying, as he could not get himself to talk or do anything. The hands on her waist were sweaty and clammy now, the nervousness shown that way alone. "I am scared because I love you so much, so much I never thought I was capable of. That is not something easy to deal with for me and to add to that are my issues with trust that has nothing to do with you. I don't trust myself, Arnav; but I trust you and I know you will not do anything that will break that trust. Will you help me build my trust?" she asked putting her heart out there for him.

The dull ache that had started when he screamed his feeling for her at her was ebbing away slowly and the words registered. He saw her face anew as she let go of his. As his hands fell limp from her waist, she took a few steps back to wipe the tears which were flowing again, this time in relief as she had finally spoken the words that were lodged in her heart. "You said you love me?" he questioned, his voice a hoarse whisper. She shook her head in disbelief at his need to be told again and seeing his boyish disappointment at her action, she spoke softly but quickly with sarcastic humor, "Arnav, though I will be certified insane by acknowledging this; yes Arnav, I love you" The brilliance of his smile could light up a million lamps. He looked at her with so much love her breath hitched. He legs took him to her in a flash as his hands gripped her waist, pulling her to him. His lips crashed on hers screaming his love, desire and passion. Khushi brought her arms around his neck and responded with equal fervor.

He let go of her lips to allow both of them to draw some much needed air and held her close; as he did not want to let her go and tightened his grip on her waist pressing her close to his need. She heard him tell her, he wanted her as much as she did. Arnav Singh Raizada realized he had expressed his desire in a simple way and it was left to her to respond and she did, pulling his mouth to hers to ask him to finish what he had promised. She closed her eyes for a few seconds drawing courage to go through with her decision as she submitted herself to the moment. Arnav let go of her to remove the kurta for the second time and was stopped again. He looked at her with brows raised in surprise, "I have something to say" she rasped as she looked at him directly and he was getting very nervous now. Had she changed her mind already? That had better not be the case. She cannot have him all worked up and now change her mind, "Sure Khushi tell me" was all he could manage. She closed her eyes and opening them slowly, inhaling deeply, and in a hoarse whisper she said "This is my first time, I thought it would be best to warn you, so….that you are not………..disappointed." He looked at her, his eyes wide with shock. Why was she asking him not to be disappointed and increase her nervousness? "What?" he shouted. That sent her a step back and she had her back pressed to the wardrobe. "What do you mean to say "what"? I have never done it before…had sex that is…before" She was finding it difficult to explain to him. It was difficult as it is, why was he adding to her woes? Why?

"I am aware of that, you have made that clear to me" he growled and seeing her face fall, he added "That apart, you will be the death of me" he added before he kissed her. His tongue plunged deep in to her mouth, hungry, eager and urgent. The intensity with which his hands swept over her form made her tremble. Finally settling on her kurta clad breasts which he kneaded and reveled in the response her body gave to him. If the acknowledgment of his love for her frightened him, hers had knocked out all the doubts. He loved the woman in his arms and wanted her as bad as the air to breathe. The tiny doubt that was taking shape in his mind was shot down, when she kissed him. And that was all he wanted, her acceptance of what they were about to do and he would ensure it would be something she would remember for life. He stepped back and saw her clasp and un-clasp her hands unsure of what to do. Once he was rid of his shoes and belt, standing in his jeans, he asked her to come to him. She did; her eyes not leaving his. He removed her clothes keeping his eyes locked with hers. She now stood in her underclothes. Suddenly conscious of her semi nakedness she turned her back to him and he chuckled pressing his front to her back, "I am not going to wait for you, Khushi" removing her hair band allowing it to spill over her shoulders.

She looked at him, tilting her head slightly to the side, as she slipped her hands under her hair and unclipped her brassier and turned to him. She heard him gasp and her eyes went to his face, wondering what happened to him. He was speechless as her hair was restricting his view of her bare upper body. He took her hands and placed them on his shoulders and moved her hair behind her shoulders to take in her beauty and he was overwhelmed by the sensations that washed over him. He had admired her openly in the past and had told her so too. Her beauty was all that he had imagined it to be; full and heavy her breasts were inviting him to caress them. She was unaware of her body and the work of art that it was. He carried and placed her down on the bed gently. He had a smile on his face which failed to veil his naked desire, his hands reached to cup her and seeing the flush on her cheeks, he pressed her down on the bed and started caressing her breasts. Her gasps encouraging him to continue to kiss her mouth while he massaged her breasts. She was clutching at his shoulders enjoying his ministrations while he continued to pay attention to her mouth; his tongue seeking the depth and taste of her. He wanted it all and he just couldn't get enough. He trailed kisses down her cheeks, her chin, and breasts. He was enjoying her response and the pleasure she displayed when his mouth latched on to a peak. He explored her sensitive nipples till she almost pushed him unable to control the sensations she felt. He pressed her down telling her that he was sure of what he was doing.

He continued to work on her breasts and was answered by her moans. It was time to take this further. He got off her and his hands moved down to remove her panties, even as his heart was speeding at the rate of 300 miles per hour. "Are you sure?" he whispered softly to which she spoke with her eyes, screaming her consent. He then gently kissed her forehead and prepared her in his husky melodious tone "This would hurt a little". His eyes followed his hands and when he stilled for a second when she whispered, "I trust you Arnav." Those four words assured him of her willingness and made him kiss her again. He stroked her breasts and moving over the ribs, tummy and further down, and then her inner thighs, but she did not resist. He knew she was ready and he kissed her again while his fingers were getting her ready for what would follow next. He pulled off her to remove his boxers, and then he repositioned himself and parted her knees. He was slow and took care to ensure he hurt as little as possible, not caring about himself, though only he knew the effort it took on his part. The soft sob and tearing of her eyes a clear indication of the fact that she had reached her destination and it was now his turn to satiate his need.

They lay together spent, not saying anything, both deep in thought. She felt beautiful and the satisfaction was complete. She felt alive and Arnav had been gentle and she had thought him incapable of such tenderness. He was a passionate man and had made her first time an unforgettable experience. Blocking out any thoughts of her future, she let the present, which was drenching her body with sensations, soak in and everything else could wait. He was shocked at his response to her; he had always treated sex as a bodily requirement and indulged in it regularly with many women, but had never felt this way before. He felt powerless at that moment; she seemed to have in this one act usurped his position of an individual who was always in control. She had taken over the reins of his life and he was now attached to her in every way. It did not unsettle him, rather it thrilled him.

"Arnav" she whispered hoarsely and alarmed he drew back to look at her, to find her eyes shining with happiness and love for him. He didn't know what to say or do "I am not letting you go, not today or ever" Saying that, he kissed her lips with slow passion as Khushi sighed in contentment.

A/N – This update is dedicated to one person who is certifiably insane and does everything in her ability to ensure I am no different. She arm twists me to write this story faster than I fancy doing and slave drives me all the time. There is not a day that goes by without her madness touching my life in IF world. Garfield is arrogant when he says 'to know me is to love me' but in this girl's case, truer words cannot be spoken, to know her is to love her. Friend, slave driver, proofreader and PoL flag bearer all rolled into one, this is for you; I think I forgot to mention her name Saiyeda (Rasgulla_sp)