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Hey all. 😃 This is my first attempt at writing a story. I posted this story for my friends on the Blast the Past Thread, second anniversary special, on the 6th. Thanks to their encouraging reviews I have mustered the confidence to post it here.😃 Hope you like it. 😃Please do leave your comments. Thanks!😃
😉 The Broken Bed 😉
by wiwy
THREAD ONE
THREAD TWO
Chapter 12 : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3683788?pn=9
Chapter 19 : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3683788?pn=105Chapter 20 (updated 28/19/2013): https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3683788?pn=125
THREAD THREE
Chapter 24 : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3761047?pn=50Chapter 21 : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3761047?pn=3
Chapter 27 : (updated 16/11/ 2013) : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3761047?pn=110
THREAD FOUR: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3834163
THREAD ONE
Chapter 1
Khushi woke up to the sound of thunder with a start! She lay on her bed hearing the rain splashing against the glass door leading to the balcony on the 10th floor of her flat in New Delhi. It was dark outside.
She glanced at the alarm clock at her bedside table. The arms showed 6.30am. She stretched her arms and yawned.She could afford to sleep for another 15 minutes only. She had to leave the apartment at 7.30am to give tuitions to school students before reaching college by 9am.
This was her last year in college she thought dreamily and she hoped to do well in examinations, get a good job and help her Babuji pay off his debts. She would try to find time today to visit him at their ancestral home where he was staying with his younger brother's family . Sighing, she looked at the watch again before she dozing off.
For the second time in the morning, Khushi's sleep was interrupted with a drumming noise in her ears. No, it was not raining anymore. Then what? The sound was more distinct this time. Knock! Knock! "Why is Neha knocking" she grumbled in her sleep. "Has she forgotten to take her keys to the apartment?"
Suddenly a black shadow fell on her and she sat up on her bed with a jerk! A man in a black track suit was standing in the balcony rapping his knuckles on the sliding glass doors. What! A man! She rubbed her eyes!He was now gesturing to her to let him in!Was she dreaming! No he was definitely there, now sliding the jacket off his shoulder to reveal a white vest accentuating a muscled but well toned body!
Oh! No! Devi Maiyya, the lock to the door had broken two days ago and ...her thoughts trailed off as a cold fear gripped her heart! She opened her mouth to scream but no words came out. Her breath hitched,her heart thudding in her ears she hugged her pillow for moral support and then taking all courage in her hands, she stood up on her bed and jumping on it as if to gain momentum shrieked in a high pitched voice ,"Thief!Thief!"
The tall lean figure looked at her with a start and finding the lock broken, prised open the doors and stepped into her bedroom swiftly and rasped"What the! Calm down, lady! I am not a thief", he smirked, his striking eyes dancing with amusement. Khushi stopped screaming at the sudden sound of his husky voice. Trying to size up her strong, rugged adversary she stared at his chocolate brown eyes, his long nose, his stubble and fixed her eyes at his well shaped lips as they moved to say, "Please take it easy. I am Arnav Singh Raizada, the CEO of AR Designs. I climb buildings as a hobby. Its called Buildering.
Khushi stared at him with her big hazel eyes and said in a trembling voice, "Are you kidding me?"
Finding her looking at him incredulously, he smirked again, " Don't panic!Believe me its not crap. Its very exhilarating. Have you seen this serial on BBC on Climbing Great Buildings? I was practising for that, when my harness got entangled in cable wires, it started pouring and I had to drop down to your balcony."
"Understand? No? What the!", he exclaimed, gritting his teeth in irritation. But he controlled himself, making one last effort to convince her. "Okay, I will show you this letter..."and saying that he dug into his pant pocket!
A horrifying thought flashed across her mind as he fished in his pocket. She gasped and hugged her pillow close to her chest. He had a knife in his pocket! She was dead sure! He was too good looking to be a mere thief, he was a serial killer! A rapist! A psycopath! His story was too good to be true! She must safe herself! Thought after thought raced through her crazy mind. Terrifying scenes of herself lying in a pool of blood rose unbidden to her mind. And all of a sudden she let out a loud screech." Naaahii!"Bachao!Naaahi"she cried.
The man looked up at her in disbelief. Eyes darkening with anger he was besides her bed in two long strides, and he shot out his hand to pull her down on the bed and clamped his big hand on her mouth.
But in the process he lost his balance and landed on the bed with her under him. There was a huge clap and thud as the bed broke under his weight.She thrashed about on the creaking bed trying to push him away. But he was too heavy for her.
"Stop it! Will you, you hysterical woman!"He growled in her left ear, his voice sending cold shivers down the length of her body.
The smell of his cologne filled her nostrils as his stubble grazed her cheek. She could feel his hard muscles on every inch of her soft skin. Her heart leapt to her throat. Instantly she became aware that she was not wearing her dupatta. Bracing her palms against his broad chest she tried to push him away but he did not budge.
He thrust the sheet of paper, he had taken out of his pocket in front of her and in the tone of ticking off an errant child, said "This is the letter I was talking about. The owner of this building complex, unlike you, says he's honoured to have me climb his building" he said in a stern voice.
Through her thick lashes, she looked up at him pleadingly, to let her go but found herself drowning in his deep brown pools as they scanned her lovely features. The air around them was heating up. He said in a quiet voice"Okay, I am taking my hand off your mouth but if you scream again I will not be responsible for the consequences" Momentarily, his eyes clouded with an emotion that shook her. The threat of dire consequences evoked a fear laced with something else within her.
As he slowly removed his palm she licked her lips nervously drawing attention to them. He stared hard at their pink moistness and letting out a grunt loosened his hold on her, pulling off in a haste, running his hand over his thick gelled hair as he tried to sit up hastily.
But he immediately fell back on her. It was an awkward moment for both as they realized that his watch had got entangled in her chain. Khushi raised herself on her elbows and grappled with his watch, but she was all thumbs, his proximity making her very tense. "Wait, wait!" he commanded. A tingling sensation coursed through her as his long fingers touched her neck to open the clasp of her chain. As he extracted the chain from his watch, she felt his gaze sweep over her face, her exposed shoulders and throat and blushed a deep shade of red. He took in her state with interest and mirth.
He handed back her chain and offered her his hand to pull her out of the mess which was her erstwhile bed!Grabbing her chain, she ignored his outstetched hand, and stood up gingerly, avoiding the splinters.
Watching her carefully and with that lopsided smile plastered on his face, he said somewhat gently"I will buy you a new bed to pay for my sins. Okay?" Khushi's lips formed a perfect 'O', before they trembled into a wail, " My bed! My bed! You...you...idiot" she whimpered."Unbelievable! There she goes again" he muttered harshly, all softness disappearing as quickly as it had surfaced.
He said brusquely"Look, I have some very important business to attend to. My cell fell out of jacket pocket as I clambered down your balcony. Can I use your phone to call my driver? The sooner I leave, the better for you, right?"
She sniffed and nodded towards her cell, lying precariously on the dashboard of her broken bed and sniffed again. He quickly grabbed it, punched the numbers and commanded to the speaker on the other end, "Its me. Bring the car to the other side of the complex. Block D. And get the spare suit to the tenth floor to the house of Miss..." And then turning towards her barked "What is your name?"
His audacity, arrogance, and rudeness was too much to bear! She had had enough! "Why should I tell you? Who the hell do you think you are, barging into my house like this" Khushi, demanded, eyes flashing anger, she folded her arms on her chest defiantly.
He gave her an exasperated look and striding to the front door of the flat, yanked it open, and with one eye on the nameplate and another on her, he pronounced her name as if tasting it, "Khushi... Kumari... Gupta".
She had inadvertently followed him into the living room but when he started moving towards her menancingly she retreated one step back for every step he took forward, till she bumped into the wall separating the two rooms. "Are you always this difficult or have you made an exception for me?"Their eyes locked as he leaned into her, placing his right hand on the wall so near her cheek. Blood shot to her cheeks again and her knees turned into jelly, as she found herself slumping against him.
"What the!" he muttered and in one swift motion he lifted her up in his strong arms and placed her tenderly on the living room couch."Are you okay...Khushi?", he inquired. She nodded in a daze. She clapped her hands to her ears as a buzzing noise erupted in the vicinity. Minutes later she lifted her heavy lashes as the haze cleared. He was nowhere to be seen.
Her heart skipped a few beats while she frantically looked around the room and then it went into overdrive when he emerged from the kitchen side, in a charcoal grey three piece suit holding a steaming cup of coffee. A ray of sun popped out of the clouds and lit up her face as she beamed at him, glad he hadn't left.
He stopped in his tracks and stared at her radiant face. Then shaking his head, he pointed to his expensive tailor made suit that moulded his perfect body, and said"My driver came and went and you did not notice. Hope I am not looking like a thief now.You look lost, in a state of shock I think. Drink this up. You will feel beter." She took the cup from him and nodded silently.
"You'd better take rest today. Uh, I am uh,getting late. I must, uh, leave", he said haltingly, raking his hand through his hair.
The smile on her lips disappeared as his words sunk in and she was startled as a sense of loss filled her at the thought of him leaving. Haye, Devi Maiyya, mujhe kya ho raha hai(Oh! DM, what is happening to me), she chastised herself.
He suddenly turned on his heels and walked to the front door briskly. And when he had put sufficient distance between them he turned to look at her again. "Khushi will you be okay?" She gulped down the lump in her throat and smiled at him weakly.
"We will catch up on the bed, okay?" he said huskily and without waiting for her reply,slammed the door behind him and he was gone.
Angry tears welled up in her eyes. "No, we will not", she screamed after him."Damn him and his stupid hobby" she said aloud throwing her favourite flower vase at the closed door, and looking at it in a horrified manner as it crashed breaking into a thousand pieces.
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