1 | ArHi FF Resistance | COMPLETE - Page 64

Khushi stared at the man crouching across from her, sifting the soil through his fingers. His face was streaked with dirt, his hair falling slightly in his eyes as he bent down to roughly pull a stray piece of grass out of the ground.

She felt her heart quicken, her cheeks warming as she quickly looked away from him. She took a deep breath, trying not to look flustered.

She couldn't believe he was affecting her this much.

Her feelings for him were growing, and she realized how much she enjoyed spending time with him. Her heart warmed at merely the thought of him, and she smiled.

But she couldn't stop the twinge of worry at the back of her head, warning her that this was a bad idea.

They were often at odds with each other, despite their growing friendship. Their debates were heated, and it would only stop when one of them decided it would never end.

It made her realize how deep their differences ran.

They would always end up the same way, with him calling her foolish for believing in what he called a group of wayward rebels with no sense of what the real world was like. She accused him of being complacent, of blindly following tyrants by closing himself off to their flaws.

It was never ending.

She glanced out at the garden, a smile unwittingly breaking out over her face. They had moved away from the rose bush, tending to the rest of the garden with the same care. Now that she had him working with her, the garden looked beautiful.

Before, there would be patches filled with weeds, since she could only get around to it every couple of weeks. Now, there were no such patches, and the bushes were all neatly trimmed and healthy.

But she was beginning to also realize that while they didn't often agree... when they worked together, it could turn out beautifully.

It made her wonder about the possibilities, if she could just...

What if...

He reached up, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, the once ironed, pristine fabric, wrinkled. She could see his toned forearms, and felt the heat rising up her cheeks.

"Why don't you realize what they're doing, Arnav? They're taking advantage of us! Of our resources, using our people to fight their war, they suppress our culture-"

"Culture? How blind are you, Khushi? You say that I'm oblivious to their flaws, while you sit here praising kings that wreaked just as much havoc-"

"I never said that the kings did a good job! I simply think that India should be given a chance to rule themselves, to form a cohesive-"

He scoffed derisively, shaking his head.

"They were given that chance, for centuries, millenia, even. And they squandered it. The British have already made this country better."

"You know what, Arnavji? Forget it. You'll never understand."

Khushi looked away from him, forcing herself to push the thoughts out of her brain. She felt a stab of guilt at the memory, and let out a sharp breath of frustration. 

She recognized the signs of attraction, and it worried her. 

They would never get along. They were too different, and their differences would break them.

It wasn't possible for two people so staunchly loyal to opposing nations to be together.

She should have been focusing on her feelings for NK. He was the man Sakshi and Ashok wanted her to marry.

But she couldn't deny that there was an attraction between her and Arnav that she had never felt with NK. She swallowed, trying to avoid thinking about the look on his face when she had walked in wearing the sari he had gifted her.

He had made her flush, his eyes roving over her shamelessly as if there was no one else in the room.

They had been made to stand next to each other in the photo taken at the end of the ceremony. They were in the back, standing next to the couple. She was on the outside, with Arnav standing next to Sakshi. The photographer had urged the family closer, telling them that he couldn't fit all of them in the frame.

He had gently placed his hand on her back, nudging her closer.

No one else could have seen the quietly intimate gesture, since they had been covered by all the other people around them, jostling as they tried to fit into the frame. But it hadn't reduced the impact of his hands on her bare skin, just between the blouse and her waist, resting lightly on the small of her back.

She had looked up at him in surprise, and he had simply given her a small smirk back. She had turned away quickly, pasting a smile on her face as the photographer yelled for them to look at the camera.

She reached blindly for the trovel, unnerved by the way he affected her.

But she didn't feel the cool metal. Instead, it was a large hand underneath hers, sending warmth tingling up her spine. Her eyes flashed up to his, and she was held captive by his smoldering gaze, their hands completely still. 

He had felt it too.

She gasped and pulled her hand away, murmuring a quiet apology underneath her breath. She couldn't look at him, her cheeks flooding with red. She lifted a hand to her cheek, feeling the heat against her cool palm.

She shouldn't have felt this way. This would never work.

*********

Sakshi helped Ashok into bed, placing a pillow behind his head. He leaned back, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

It had been a long day, going to the bank to buy Anjali's jewelry, picking up the blouses, and a long doctor's visit.

They had said that his heart condition was getting better, but that he still needed rest. He would often find himself out of breath, but for a man like him, it was hard to stop working.

Khushi, Anju, and Sakshi had been furious when they found out that he had gone to the bank alone that morning. He hated to see the tears in Sakshi's eyes, worried about his health.

He was tired of being treated as an invalid, and had taken it upon himself to at least fulfill the monetary part of the wedding. They had forbidden him from doing anything else, insisting that he had to take care of himself.

"You shouldn't have gone out alone this morning."

"Sakshi, I'm not an invalid. I'm capable of going to the bank arrange the money for Anju's wedding."

She turned on him, her eyes flashing in rarely seen anger. She was almost always demure and reserved, but he would occasionally see glimpses of the same righteousness that Anju had. The thought brought a smile to his face, and he saw her glare deepen as she saw him.

"This is not a laughing matter. What if something..."

She swallowed painfully, her voice unsteady.

"Something had happened to you? Who would have known? What would we have done? It's Anju's wedding, you have to take-"

"Nothing happened, Sakshi. I'm fine."

He smiled at her reassuringly, and saw her soften as she slid into bed next to him. They sat in silence as he read his book, occasionally glancing up at her through his glasses as she stitched a fallen button back onto his shirt.

"What are you thinking about?"

She placed the shirt down, staring off contemplatively. She hesitated for a minute, before turning to him.

"Anju is getting married. Isn't it time that we get Khushi married as well? You know Garima and Shashi would have wanted her to-"

"Sakshi, we promised that we would let her make the decision."

Sakshi was clearly unsatisfied, and leaned back, sighing heavily.

"I know, but how long should we wait? She's getting older, Ashok. In our society, it is harder to get married as the woman gets older. She has a good proposal. Why not..."

Ashok took his glasses off, placing them on the bedside table as he turned to his wife.

"I don't think..."

He trailed off, trying to figure out how to phrase it softly. Sakshi had a tendency to jump to conclusions prematurely, and this was a delicate issue.

"I know NK has made a proposal for Khushi. But I would be more comfortable if it was someone I knew... better."

He could see confusion flit across her face, clearly baffled.

"Haan, but we have known the Kumars for quite a while."

"Yes, but... don't you think someone like Arnav would be a better match?"

"Arnav?"

He could tell that Sakshi was taken aback, and hastened to explain.

"Arnav is our son. We know him better than anyone else, and while we do know the Kumars, that is nothing compared to how well we know Arnav. I promised Shashi I would take care of her, and with Arnav... Khushi would be in good hands, Sakshi."

She considered his words carefully. Ashok would not have said that without thinking, and she could tell that he had mulled over this for a long time.

Ashok watched as Sakshi drifted into her own thoughts. He wasn't blind to the potent attraction between Arnav and Khushi. To anyone who was paying attention, it was clear, and he could see it in the way his son looked at her.

He had seen them out in the gardens when they worked close to the house, and was amazed by the way their hatred had transformed into a quiet friendship over the last couple of months. He had seen them arguing numerous times, but he had noticed that they would put an end to it before it came to the tipping point.

Despite their differences, he had seen the effect of their collboration in the gardens. They complimented each other well. Khushi wasn't someone who would let herself be dominated by him, and she would keep him grounded.

And maybe, she would keep him in India as well.

After a long time, Sakshi spoke, her voice final. 

"Arnav would be a good match for her. But Arnav would never agree, and he wants to move back to England. Khushi wants to stay in India, and she would never agree to move out of this country."

And so, the topic was closed.

For now.

*********

Khushi glanced across the room, sweeping her gaze over his sharp profile. He was leaned over a chessboard, carefully considering the few remaining pieces. Ashok sat across from him, waiting as Arnav debated his move.

"Khushi? Did you hear what I said?"

She snapped out of her trance, turning back to Anjali.

"Huh? Oh, yes, the, um..."

"Checkmate."

She heard Arnav's voice, confident and satisfied as he leaned back in his chair. Ashok shifted forward, staring at the board in shock.

"How did you...?"

"I played chess at a club in England, learned new tricks."

She could hear the wistful note in his voice, the longing to go back.

He loved England too much to even consider staying here.

Did she want him to stay here?

Khushi felt her stomach tighten, a strange warmth filling her as she thought of it. Unnerved, she hastily made an excuse, sprinting up the staircase, her heart pounding in her chest.

She sat in her room later that night, her eyes scanning the same page for the hundredth time. She couldn't focus, her thoughts occupied by the man sitting downstairs with the rest of the family.

She had made the excuse that her head hurt, slipping away to her room after dinner. She had to figure out what... this was.

The attraction had only grown stronger between them, and she found her gaze constantly being drawn to him.

His subtle touches, the way he looked at her, a small smirk reserved just for her... made it all entirely too hard to ignore.

But he wanted to go back to England. He didn't like India. They would always clash.

She stared at the book, trying to turn her thoughts to NK.

That was who she was supposed to be thinking about, the guy who had held feelings for her, who wanted to marry her.

She sighed heavily, rubbing at her forehead.

"I have some medication for that headache."

She jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned to see him standing in the doorway, holding a plate and a glass of water. He tilted his head slightly, asking for permission to enter. She nodded, her heart thudding against her chest.

The door creaked shut behind him, and he walked in, settling himself at the foot of her bed.

He handed her the plate, and her face lit up in delight as she saw the jalebi sitting on it. He gave her a small smile, and she immediately reached forward to take the sweet. He stopped her, handing her the pills first.

"Take them first."

Scowling, she downed the pills quickly, gulping the water down. He watched as she bit down into the jalebi, the syrup staining her lips. She closed her eyes in bliss, and Arnav felt the deep pull in his stomach as he heard a quiet sigh of satisfaction.

He leaned forward without thinking, reaching his thumb out and brushing it against her lips. She froze, her eyes snapping up to meet his. He could hear her breathing quicken, her lips parted slightly against his thumb.

Arnav felt the swirl of desire in the pit of his stomach, her lips warm against the pad of his thumb. He struggled to retain control, his body leaning closer towards her unwittingly, his warm breath caressing her lips.

His lips hovered just above hers, and he paused, not wanting to repeat what had happened a couple of months ago.

"Khushi..."

His voice was throaty, her name almost a moan on his lips. He held himself in check, giving her control of the situation. She hesitated for a minute, looking up at him uncertainly. Her hazel eyes were cloudy, and she wet her lips, her tongue darting out.

She couldn't do this. This was wrong, she shouldn't be giving in but-

He saw her eyes flutter shut, and she tentatively leaned forward, brushing her lips against his.

He reached an arm around her waist, crushing his lips to his. His hands went to her braid, loosening it as his fingers brushed through the thick silk. She was clutching his shirt, artlessly responding to his ministrations.

Her head spun, her body erupting in flames at his feathery touch. She couldn't think straight, her body yearning for more as she pressed herself closer, arching into him.

The warmth that was spreading through her was foreign, but she didn't want it to stop. She desperately tried to remind herself of NK, but she couldn't, her mind occupied with thoughts of him.

He nipped at her lower lip, running his tongue along it to soothe the sting, encouraging her to deepen it. He felt the nervous brush of her tongue against his, and pulled her closer, cupping her face and tilting it up.

She moaned softly, and immediately stiffened in his arms. He felt her hands loosen on his shirt as she broke away, breathing heavily as she looked at him.

He could see the confusion in her eyes, mingling with the need for more. She looked away, embarrassed, her cheeks filling with red as she took deep breaths, trying to slow her breathing.

She lifted a hand to touch her lips, and the innocent gesture made him want to unravel her sari right there, to kiss every inch of her skin.

She couldn't believe she had... but she couldn't bring herself to regret it. 

Knowing that she needed time, he stepped away, taking the plate out of her hand. She refused to meet his gaze, her eyes cast downward, a fierce blush on her cheeks.

"I'm just... going to give this to Ma."

He turned and walked out slowly, but paused at the doorway, glancing back at her.

She had a small smile on her face, biting her lower lip as she lifted her fingers to touch them again.

*********

Note: And that's where I'll leave you for today 😆 I hope you liked it! If you get the chance, please like and tell me what you thought- I love to hear from you!

DDC1, a shoutout for posting the picture of that almost kiss- at least here... it went through! 😆

Also, many thank yous to my wonderful readers- this Thanksgiving weekend, I'm extremely thankful to have readers like you. So from the bottom of my heart- thank you, for your never ending support!

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I'll be back on Tuesday with a teaser.

Until then and love always,

Choti.