Dark Night Dawning

Chapter 2

When Anjali and Shyam left, Khushi went to the dressing table. She couldn't face Arnav just yet. As she sat on the stool, applying kajal to her eyes, she saw Arnav walk up to the wardrobe. As he stood in front of it contemplating what to wear, he took off his shirt. Khushi's hand froze half way up to her eyes. His masculinity never ceased to fascinate her. As he began to rub his wet hair with a towel, she watched the play of muscles in his back, biceps and forearms. His body seemed wound up and tensed and she felt a fluttering response in her own body. She realized that she was beginning to understand every nuance of his body language now. She wanted to go up to him and wrap herself to his back until he calmed down. Where had that thought come from? She was so lost in him that she failed to see that he had turned around, to catch her staring. He began to walk toward her, holding her gaze, until he stood right behind her. He bent down and took her hair in hands. They were dripping wet. He pulled off the towel from his shoulder and wrapped her hair in it.

'Wipe your hair Khushi,' he said softly, 'You might catch a cold.' He walked back to the wardrobe leaving Khushi a little more flustered if that was possible.

**

Shyam started pacing about in the room like a caged tiger, his face was twitching badly. What had happened in the bathroom? When Anjali had questioned Arnav he had replied ambiguously and when Khushiji had come out had she looked flustered. They were both behaving strangely since they came back from Nainital. Was there something going on between them? Hadn't he told Arnav that no one could come between him and Khushiji? He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see that Arnav had entered the room.

'Arnav!' said Shyam startled, 'What do you want?'

'I thought I should let you know that it is bad manners to go into people's bedrooms without their permission,' said Arnav in a quiet but menacing voice.

'I ....I told you ..... I came in because I heard _____' he began.

'And you and I both know, that is a big lie,' Arnav cut him off firmly,'So let's do away with all the lame excuses. I think I told you once before and I will not repeat this again. I don't ever want to see you anywhere near Khushi again.'

'You can threaten me all you like Arnav, but how are you going to stop Khushiji?' he asked his lips twisted in derision.

'Oh you don't have to worry about that anymore jeejaji,' said Arnav and walked away marking the end of the conversation.

Shyam was flummoxed. What had he meant by that last comment? He would have to watch them a little more closely.

**

Khushi sat in her room thinking about the incident in the bathroom. When Shyam had knocked on the bathroom door, at first she had been embarrassed but then when she heard Arnav's explanation she was glad. She knew Arnav was putting up a show for his sister but if it meant it would keep Shyam away from her, she was all game. But it was not Shyam she was really worried about. It was Arnav.

Since that last night in Nainital, his behaviour toward her had changed. Did he think that he could just come up to her and kiss her anywhere and anytime he liked? Suddenly it hit her. Of course he did. He probably wanted to exercise physical rights over her as he had told her in Nainital! It was not a big deal for him. He did not believe in love or marriage. But that did not mean he did not believe in physical intimacy. After all, he had wanted to live-in with Lavanya. She knew that many people did not think that it was necessary to be in love to be physically intimate. But she was not one of them, and he couldn't force her in this matter!

Force? Who was she kidding? He had never forced her at all, not when they were stuck in that mountainside hut, nor on that last night in Nainital. Even this morning in the bathroom, she remembered how her treacherous body had responded to him shamelessly. Hey Devi Maiyya! She could never let that happen again. She would have to avoid him at all cost.