Khushi is getting ready for the dinner with
Anjali and Shyam. Does Arnav make it for the dinner after all? Read on to find
out.
Dark
Night Dawning ' Part 4
Khushi
realized it was not her imagination when the safety pin she was trying to pin
her pallu with poked her, making her wince as it slipped out of her hands. What was he doing here?
Arnav was mesmerized. He had come up
thinking which colour of the rainbow she would have chosen to wear tonight. But,
when he saw her he was zapped. She was draped in the most beautiful wine
coloured saree. But all he could see was her back. Except for the two narrow strips
of cloth brought together by a jewelled clasp, he could see her entire back. There
was something very sexy about her back. His body hardened just looking at that
sight. One day she was driving him up the wall with her pativrata avatar. The next day she was a siren. Which one was she?
Whatever it was, he'd better get her out to that restaurant fast or else he
would be tempted to drag her to their bed right now and that was closer!
'Khushi,
hurry up, will you?' he said, his voice rough, 'We are already running late.'
Khushi quickly
pinned up her pallu, surprized at his sudden change of behaviour. One moment,
it looked like he was going to devour her and the in the next, he was ordering
her about.
'What are
you doing here?' she asked anger rising at his tone, 'I thought you had an
important meeting.'
'I am Arnav
Singh Raizada,' he said haughtily, 'I don't revolve around meetings, it's the
other way around. So if you are done with your interrogation, we should be on
our way.'
Khushi sat
in the car miffed with Arnav. She had disliked the tone in which he had talked
earlier. Why did he have to be such a Laad Governor all the time?
'Where is
Di?' she asked looking around for Anjali.
'Di left
early so that we don't lose the reservation,' he said, 'God knows how much more
time you would have taken to dress up.'
'The reason
I was running late was because Di asked me to go back and change from my suit
into this saree.' she explained irritated.
So Di had
planned all this, he thought. She just won't stop meddling, will she? He had
called her in advance to let her know he was joining them for dinner. After
thinking about it the entire day at work, he had finally decided that he had to
go to this dinner at any cost. He would have to pull a few strings to
reschedule that meeting but he'd be damned if he let Khushi go all alone
anywhere in the vicinity of Shyam. He remembered how his hands had itched to
punch him right in the face when he had slyly persuaded Anjali to bring Khushi
along for the dinner. The slimeball!
**
When they
reached the hotel building, he called Anjali to let her know that they were in
the parking lot and would be up in a few minutes. They got in the elevator and
pressed the button to the 13th floor. When they went up to the 2nd
floor, a little boy got into the elevator all by himself. They were wondering
if he was lost when suddenly he pressed a bunch of buttons from 3 to 9. Just
when Arnav was about to ask him what he was doing he got off on the 3rd
floor and ran away.
Arnav was so
irritated with the little boy when the lift started stopping at each and every
floor. Finally after the 8th floor, the lift gave a lurch, and began
to creep upward.
'What's
happening?' asked Khushi, when the floor beneath her stuttered, swayed and
stopped. The door remained closed.
'I think the
lift is stuck between two floors,' he returned. He tried pressing the alarm
button and checked the signal on his phone.
'The alarm button doesn't seem to be working and there is no signal
here. We will have to wait until someone comes along to fix it.'
He went to
the far corner of the lift and stripped off his coat jacket. He had worn a
white shirt inside. Khushi loved to see him in white. He looked very sexy. She
wished she could walk up to him and run her fingers through his hair and undo
couple of his buttons''. What was she
thinking? She remembered what she was going to tell him.
'What? No way!
We can't just wait until someone comes,' she said her voice shrill, 'Can we not
try to climb out of this lift?'
'Are you
crazy?' he asked her incredulously.
'I have seen
it a movie,' she insisted.
'For God's
sake Khushi, this is India. Look up. Do you see a exit door anywhere? No! They
don't make those kinds of lifts here. OK?'
'Ok, ok
there is no need to yell Laad governor,' she muttered under her breath.
'Is this
some kind of family tradition?' he asked her.
'What?' she
asked surprized.
'Giving nick
names to people. This Laad Governor,
and then your buaji calls you sanka devi,
parmeshwari, titaliya.' He particularly loved titaliya. It suited her. He wished she would just stop talking and
fly over to him right now.
So he notices
my nick names ha? He should be one to talk. She realized she had said that
aloud when he said 'Excuse me?'
'I have
heard that someone used to be called Archie in his college days.'
'How did you
know?' he was glaring at her, the glint in those deep brown eyes like a danger
signal.
Before she
could say anything he realized, 'Ah let me guess. Karan* told you, didn't he?'
'Yes.' She
couldn't help the mischievous smile that stole into her lips. 'He also told me
why.'
'I don't know
what he told you,' he began, 'But it was definitely not because I was like that
Archie character.'
'If you say
so.' Her expression told him that she didn't believe him one bit.
'Look. The
real reason was that, there were these two girls who had proposed to me at the
same time. They apparently had a fight with each other. So, my friends started
calling them Betty and Veronica. Then the nickname Archie got stuck on me.
That's it.'
Khushi began
to giggle slowly at first and then it turned into an uncontrollable laughter.
'Shut up
Khushi,' snapped Arnav, 'I am so glad I could be of some entertainment to you.'
'So?' she
asked giggling, 'Who did you choose?'
'What? No
way. I wasn't into that!' he snarled.
'Why?' she
asked looking at him doubtfully.
'Oh God!' he
rolled his eyes, exasperated, 'I just wasn't into those girls.'
'Oh I see'
she said nodding her head.
'Not that I
was a saint or anything,' he said sheepishly. That grin, the little boyish
thing that pulled at one corner of his mouth was back again.
'Don't I
know that!' she muttered under her breath.
'It's just
that I couldn't afford to waste my time in such frivolities.' He said grimly.
Khushi
thought she saw a flash pain in his eyes, but it was gone so fast, masked again
by the glint that she had seen earlier.
'Arnavji,
look!' Khushi stood up, pointing to a small square junction box at one corner of
the roof of the lift, 'Maybe there is something in that, which will help us.'
Arnav
decided to just sit where he was. He wasn't sure he would be able to keep his
hands off her if went close to her tonight. Moreover, her hair-brained ideas
only ended up causing more trouble
'Ok looks
like I will have to do it myself then' she said irritated. She tried reaching
but realized it was way too high for her. She also realized it would be way too
high for Arnav even if he tried. There was only one way.
'Arnavji?' she
asked softly, 'Could you please lift me up so I can reach up to that box?'
'Damn!' He
groaned inwardly. Why couldn't she be quiet like normal wives? Only the day
before, she was in that ugly saree wearing a ghoongat on her head. And now,
here she was in her sanka devi
avatar.
'Please
Arnavji,' she pleaded, 'I hate closed spaces.'
She had
batted her eyelashes again. Gosh! Did she know that was his weakness? He stood
up and walked up to her staring at her intently. She briefly closed her eyes as
he put both his hands on her waist and lifted her high up in the air, holding
the position by pressing his elbows to her hips.
'A little
higher Arnavji' she gasped, using her right hand to reach the box, while the
other hand rested on his shoulder for support.
Arnav swore
under his breath. She was unbelievable! It was hard for him already his face
being in level with her breasts, and here she was asking him to lift her
higher! He loosened his hands so she slid down him gently, his face brushing
the valley between her breasts in the most feathery of touches. As her feet
touched the ground, Khushi looked at him nervously with luminous eyes in a way
only she could, her lips trembling a little, her hands on his shoulders. Then
suddenly, he lifted her higher this time, holding her in place with his hands
wrapped around her thighs. This way, he was at kissing distance with her midriff.
Khushi found that she was able to open the door of the junction box. Inside she
found a bunch of switches.
'Arnavji,'
she called out to him, 'There seem to be so many switches here. What should I
do?'
'Khushi,
just don't touch any of them,' he warned her, 'I am getting you down now, ok?'
Khushi
didn't want to let it go without trying. She pressed them all one by one.
Suddenly the lift gave a lurch and was plunged into complete darkness! Arnav
lost his balance and they both fell in a heap, with Arnav cushioning Khushi's
fall.
'Arnavji!'
screamed Khushi, 'What's happening? Is the lift falling? Are we going to die?'
Arnav
realized that Khushi was having an anxiety attack because of her fear for
darkness and closed spaces. He took her in his arms and made her sit on his
lap.
'Ssh'.
Khushi, it's ok,' he tried calming her down, 'I am right here. I won' t let
anything happen to you.'
'I am not
able to breath,' gasped Khushi hyperventilating, 'Please do something Arnavji,
get me out of here!'
Arnav had
heard that people who had anxiety attacks could be calmed down with
distraction. And he decided to do just that in the only way he knew how. He
brought his lips down on hers.
His tongue
ran lightly across the line of her mouth, trailing intoxicating fire from corner
to corner. Against her will she felt every muscle in her body relaxing, her
arms beginning to slide around his neck, one hand finding the crisp warmth of
his thick hair.
Her lips
parted voluntarily under the passionate, gentle insistence of his. Suddenly it
was as though some unbelievably wonderful firework had exploded in her mind,
showering brilliance and colour through the darkness. She found her back
arching upwards, thrusting her breasts against his hard chest. Her fingers
clenched in his hair ---- and then she was lost in a kiss more utterly sensual,
more bone-melting, than anything she had ever dreamed of. His body was fierce
and hard against hers, their mouths locked together in a sweetness that was
scalding, enveloping like fire '
As he drew
away from her, she clung to him with confused passion, offering her face to his
kisses ----passionate, dizzying kisses that came like scalding rain on her
eyelids, her cheeks, her mouth '.
As his hands
unclasped the jewel at the back her blouse to claim the shuddering skin, her own
fingers slipped into his shirt to dig into the firm muscles of his chest, and
she met his kiss with a blazing passion that had them both gasping and dizzy.
'God,' he
whispered fiercely, 'I need you so much, Khushi! You are so beautiful ----'
'Arnavji!' Khushi looked up at him her
eyes luminous and their eyes locked for countless moments. They didn't realize
that door had opened until they heard familiar voices penetrate through the
haze.
'Bhai? Chote
! Khushi!' All voices spoke at once. They looked up, their eyes still glazed to
see two guys who looked like technicians, a manager, Payal, Akash, Anjali and
Shyam staring at them their mouths open.
Arnav realized
that how it must look to them, with Khushi sitting on his lap with their arms
on each other, their hair mussed up because of the tumble they took in the
dark, his top two shirt buttons had popped off when Khushi had clutched at it
while she fell and her lipstick was totally gone, not to mention the flushed
look she had on her face. Arnav helped Khushi up and stood up in one swift
movement. He picked up his jacket that he had discarded earlier and as Khushi
tried to rush off, he pulled her back, and she clashed against his chest. At
her gasped shock, he placed the jacket on her back, bending toward her to
whisper in her ear.
'Go to the
rest room with Payal and fix your blouse first.'
She turned a
deeper shade of red if that was possible, as she grabbed Payal's hand and
walked away as fast as her legs could take her.
Apologizing
for the inconvenience, the hotel manager explained to everyone that the lift
often got stuck if the 9th floor button was pressed as that floor
was not yet operational. He also explained that the lift boy had stepped out
for an emergency. After the manager left, Anjali told Arnav how they had asked
the hotel manager, when he and Khushi had not come up even after 10 minutes.
The manager had figured out that they were probably stuck in the lift and
brought the technicians to fix the problem. They had all waited there while the
technicians worked until they could get the lift doors open.
'This is not
what it looks like,' Arnav turned toward his sister, 'I can explain.'
'I am sure
you have an explanation just like the one you gave us for the bathroom
incident,' she said mischievously.
'What
bathroom incident?' asked Akash, 'No one told me anything about it.'
'Don't worry
Akash,' said Anjali playfully patting Akash's back 'Let' go back to our table. I
will explain what happened the other day. But first I want to hear from
Chotey.'
'What you
doing here?' Arnav asked Akash hoping to distract him, 'Weren't you supposed to
take Payal to a movie tonight?'
'We couldn't
get tickets to the movie we wanted to watch, so we decided to join Di for
dinner. I am so glad we missed that movie. We got to watch a better show here.'
He added tongue in cheek.
These two
were not going to let it go, thought Arnav desperately trying to prepare his
explanation.
As the three siblings walked together
engrossed in their own world, the loner left behind on his own watched them
with simmering resentment, his face twitching. He wrung his hands in
frustration thinking that things were getting out of hand.
Hey guys, I hope you like it. I feel
motivated to write more when I hear from you so do comment and feel free to
give me your feedback.
Next chapter:
For those interested to know a little
bit about the background to this series here is a link: Himalayan
Magic series
Edited by charlotte74 - 11 years ago
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