Originally posted by: littlemoiThe conversation between Arnav and his parents was amazing and so perfect!! The ending with Khushi and Arnav in the office finally confessing their love to each other was so simple and unique... I loved it!!
This chapter is definitely one of my most favourite updates from this story!And lastly this definition of love completely blew me away!"Love is a million things and love is nothing. It can be the first gasp of air a drowning man takes after being under water for several minutes. It's in the gentleness of the moment when a mother hears the first heartbeat of her baby. It's in his relinquish when a man rips of his heart by letting his lover go to the one she loves. It's in the first tremor in your fingertips when your hands brush against hers and you realize that it's going to happen for the rest of your life." At the last part, she threaded her fingers' with her husband's - Arnav's father and the two smiled without looking at each other. "It's in growing old, sharing towels, raising kids, stealing kisses behind grown up children's back, holding hands when first grandchild arrives, dying knowing that there is someone waiting for you on the other side."Thank you so much for the pm!Can't wait for the next update!
Originally posted by: mystique_girlI like this story very much...it kind of touches my heart a lot...further, its different from your other pieces of work that I have read...
The update was beautiful...it showed the longing in both hearts ..
Originally posted by: sonia_92oh dear , where have you been.hiding.this beauty ? I feel like I'm in love after such a long time <3
this story is love, the concept is.brilliant.and the way you have portrayed arnav and khushi's realization of.their feelings for echo other , especially arnav's, is heart warming
oh this is such a beauty, truly a breathtaking.story
please please please.add.me to your pm list and pm me whenever you update , although I'm going to be stalking you very regularly
cheers
sonia
"Something good happened?" Payal asked Khushi seeing the smile that had made permanent residence on her face. "You seem...happy," she added. Khushi's eyes widened for a moment. Was she that obvious to read?
"Nothing, really. I..." Khushi didn't finish her sentence. She hung on the veil nervously, her eyes reflecting the protectiveness of the secret escapades of the heart.
"Anything happened at work recently?" Payal asked, an unknown worry clenching her gut. She, like most others, worried when she felt she was being kept out of the loop. Khushi's lips straightened when she felt cornered and hung her head. Stings of hair fell on either side of her head as her cheeks remembered the touch of warm hands stroking them. Faint blush covered her cheeks at the memory of gentle lips imprinting affection on her cheeks and her heart hammered in her chest. She shivered when the memories of being enveloped in strong arms haunted her and her skin remembered being bleak after separation.
"Khushi?" Payal called out her sister again when she didn't hear a response.
"Yes?" Khushi snapped out of reverie.
"How is your work these days?" Payal asked, trying again. Khushi looked at her strangely. Payal shuffled on her feet realizing that she was being unnecessarily intruding. "I mean, after what happened last week you were put off and now you seem..." Payal didn't finish what she was saying.
"Work is good these days," Khushi said finally looking up.
"Are you going to work today given how it's Saturday?" Payal asked.
"No. I am not," Khushi said shaking her head. "But one can never be sure how the day can turn out." She walked to the window and allowed the post monsoon breeze caress her tresses. Cold air stung her skin but also calmed from memories of the evening. The week she was having was great and it had been one week since Arnav's return - the moment when she truly believed that her life had started.
Once the elation and surprise of seeing Arnav a day early had abated, she had stepped out of his embrace and leaned on the cubicle floor. Instead of thinking, she had reacted impulsively and it had come as a surprise that he matched her enthusiasm equally.
"Lavanya and I are separated." Arnav said looking straight in her eyes and gauging every miniscule of her reaction. "She realized that I am in love with someone else and I agreed," he said when he saw Khushi's eyes reflect a scare of rejection.
"Oh...I see...I am...glad..." Khushi said forcing a smile. "I mean...she must a very nice person...right?" She said and bit her lip.
"She is a very nice person but right now she is standing in front of me and stammering," he said seriously and watched her reaction. The transformation was immediate. She snapped her head and looked at him wide eyed. Unbound and uninhibited laughter burst out of her when his words fully sunk in. Giving into her impulse for the second time that evening, she leaned over and hugged him tightly.
"I never believed you and I could be together," Arnav whispered in her ear.
"I had almost stopped," she responded with a smile remembering the weeks of longing and affection that she had forcibly put a lid on. Arnav shifted back and saw her face carefully.
"How long..." He asked swallowing.
"The day you stopped at my desk and helped me with the modal. A song played in the background which transcended the feeling of togetherness yet being apart. In one of those moments, I fell in love with you. I never in a million years thought that it would actually happen...because..."
"Because I am the boss and you are an employee?" Arnav asked. Khushi shook her head.
"Because we from two fully different and never intersecting spectrum of the society. I analyzed every possible reason why you stopped at my desk that day. I mean, there should be something that's common between us which could make us interact without having very long conversations." He pulled her to him and stroked her hair. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes in contentment.
It was tantric state where in the two of them were bound by a spell which was being woven for several weeks from their words, interaction, glances, attraction, longing, separation, loneliness and withheld affection.
He kissed her temple and sighed. His breathed danced on her cheeks and deepened the blush.
"You make us sound like a miracle." He laughed. The trembling of his chest passed on vibration to her cheeks and it made her smile. His words made her smile. He made her smile.
"Yes. We are a miracle waiting to happen." She gushed happily.
That was a week ago yet the memories were still fresh.
Sunday was the day she saw his farmhouse away from the din of the city. She walked in garden bare feet and chased the ducks by the lake. She cooked a simple meal in the modest kitchen and they ate the food in Gazebo by the rose garden. After lunch she wandered off alone by the lake shore and when she was back, she saw him lying on his back, eyes closed and dreaming a big dream of them together. She slid quietly next to him and arranged her head in the crook of his shoulder. His arm automatically snaked her waist and pulled her close to him. They shared a dream for the first time that day. He kissed her when the last ray of sunset escaped the core and bathed the lake in a pinkish orange hue. He deepened the kiss when she pulled him closer and hid his face in her neck when it was all over breathing deeply.
She had smelled of water lily, rose from his garden and a slight tinge of his woodsy perfume.
Monday blues hit her hard when she the work drowned her in its crucible and ground her till she was tired to the bone. An anticipated cricket match had made the patrons of the office slip away an hour early making the office resemble a morgue. Sun had set and her work was near finished when he stood in her cubicle. He had taken her to a small cafe he often visited when he wanted to spend time with himself; the moderate setting and familial feel had always left him feeling wonderfully complete and he wanted to share the place with her. He held her hand next to the tea light candles and assured her of holding that hand forever - he wouldn't let a simpleton walk into her house and take her away.
She stole the wild flower presented on the vase of their table and placed it inside her journal; it would forever represent the time she felt protected.
Tuesday brought her a gift neatly wrapped on her table and waiting for her. Looking around and seeing no one, she broke into a sprint and reached is cabin in record smile. Ignoring his smile and soft 'good morning', she kissed him on the mouth and poured all her affection in it. 'It's not a big gift' He told her sheepishly seeing how the act of receiving a gift had made her happy without even knowing what was inside. 'You gave me something after thinking about me. Isn't that a big gift in itself?' Her reply had come immediately. He had pinched her cheeks then and watched her in amusement as she jumped around his cabin exclaiming about Blackberry she got as a gift.
She took a picture of him first and them together next and stared at it for several moments; it was making a moment together spent a permanent memory - the one she could revisit whenever she felt alone.
Wednesday had come with a bang with her aunt invoking the topic of her marriage. Her refusal this time was point blank and her voice was strong and calm. 'No. It was for my sister's sake before and now it's for my sake too.' She had said. A bar of chocolate with a post it attached on it had materialized in front of her and the owner stood a foot away from her. The deserted pantry became their solace and Arnav kissed her cheek in haste. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and watched him go away with familiar grace. She opened the folded post-it and read the sentence which made her smile and tear up at the same time. 'Turn me into a star and wear it around your neck. When sadness tries to near you, my shine will drive it away.'
She scanned the post-it and put its image on her desktop - right next to her Goddess. She now had two things in her life she could always turn to during sadness.
Thursday made her feel more tired than usual as she fasted every Thursday. She shook her head when he offered her coffee and told him about her fast. She explained her beliefs, the cleansing she felt her body underwent and rediscover an appreciation for life. He remembered his sister then, who did something similar. He appreciated his sister for her constant beliefs and unwavering faith - in him and her God. Khushi's presence merely highlighted that. He bent and kissed her and waved a goodbye and promised a dinner the next day. She winked and told him that she would bring him a surprise. Instead of going into his cabin, he went back to his house. He found his sister getting ready to go to temple. 'May I come with you today?' He asked. Anjali was surprised and speechless. 'Have you started believing in this now?' She asked him as he helped her out of the car near the temple. 'No. I just believe in your faith.' He told her making her tear up. He hugged her sideways and the siblings went to the temple together and he stayed with his sister for the rest of the day.
He pocketed the packet of kumkum the priest had given him. He would put it in a box and store it in his dresser. It would remind him of the day when trust in someone had him reinvent his faith.
Friday dawned later than usual and made her reach office late. She had missed the morning ritual and the extra edge in his voice was proof enough for his anger. She sauntered in front of his office around lunch time and pushed a box in front of him. He ignored her and she patiently waited for his reaction. He growled at her patience and pulled the box towards him. The aroma of the dish wafted through his cabin and his eyes widened at the sight. She watched him eat and she silently sat and watched him eat. She took the handmade book she was hiding in her veil and placed it on his table. 'It's for you.' It was collection of emotions verbalized and inked. Her workmanship showed the dedication and hours she put into it and the neat calligraphy made him smile. 'I didn't know what else to give a man who already has everything.' She said with a smile and sprung out of his cabin in a hurry.
He sat in front of his parents' portraits and read every letter she had penned. They were her memories, longing, anger, disappointment, resentment, affection, adoration, love and...him.
Saturday which is today, held a promise.
Khushi turned around from window and looked at her sister who had surprise etched on her face.
"Arnav Singh Raizada has come. He said he wanted to talk to our parents." Payal said in a hurried whisper.
Khushi smiled.
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