One Day At A Time

Chapter 50 - Slice of Heaven

"Forgive me if it sounds cheesy and corny, but you are like a lambent flame for me," Arnav said softly, nuzzling her ear. "Energy, spirit, warmth, colour, brightness—" He kissed her earlobe and felt her tremble in his arms. "—and what should I say about the burn?" He whispered, kissing her neck, "And I am like the poor moth to this enticing and enchanting flame."

If she had turned to face him, he would have seen the flush highlighting her cheekbones. "This is .. beautiful, Arnav."

"The flowers and petals were not my idea, by the way." He said, resting his chin on her shoulder lightly. "I think the boys didn't know where to stop. And I am so glad they haven't thrown the heart-shaped balloons into the mix." He chuckled, pulling her closer to him. "Kaka didn't give me much time, Khush. I would have liked to make this evening special."

"More special than this, Saaheb?—" She leaned her back into his chest. "—when I know you don't like all this? This is not your style, is it?"

"I aimed to please the heart of a true Yash Chopra fan." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek.

She giggled, running delicate caresses over his forearms with her fingers. "Then I must say I am thoroughly impressed and more than pleased." She smiled, looking at the petal carpet on the floor. "So tell me, who all have been involved in this last-minute blast of activity?"

"The boys, of course. Akash, Kabir, Aarav and the gang. The girls were busy shopping with Naaz." He said, locking his fingers into hers.

"Is Naaz with Anjali and Payal?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes. They get along, I guess, or at least try their best to." A stifled laugh fell from his lips. "Anjali is still struggling to warm up to her for some reason, though. Sometimes I feel she is going to do something evil to her."

She laughed. "Two strong heads clashing. I won't put it past her."

"You know I was meant to fly out to Delhi with Naaz tomorrow. But I spoke to her this morning, and she insists on travelling to Delhi alone and doesn't want to bother me. She hopes to fly back to London after she meets her family."

Failing to keep the word given to someone had always bothered him. She knew the thought was troubling him, but instead of comforting him, she felt herself asking him, "Why is she here in Pune, Arnav? She could have easily flown into Delhi directly from London."

For a moment, tension gripped him hearing her tone, and for a couple of horrible seconds, he thought she would thrust his arms away. But she turned around to face him, and his arms instinctively tightened his hold on her.

"You know, Arnav, I have thought about this and couldn't get it off my mind. Did she feel the need to be with you, to comfort you? Was she expecting some friction between us after we met, or something worse? Did she think I would be with someone else—"

Something twitched in his heart as he held her gaze. "Khush—"

She ignored him. "She seemed pretty shocked about us getting back together."

"I am not sure if shocked is the word. But disconcerted surely, because —" His heart was pounding now, the chest tightening as he fought one more battle with himself. "—we both came here knowing —" His fingers left her waist and grabbed her hands in his. "—Khush—" He hesitated, "—I was already aware of you dating someone for a long time before I landed in India."

Khushi drew in a sharp breath as she stared into his eyes. "How is that possible?" She kept blinking at him. "You mean you knew about me dating Mir —"

He nodded. He could have done without seeing the hurt in her eyes, but she couldn't hide it. "For a while, yes."

"Oh dear god, Arnav. But who told—" She kept staring at him but not looking at him at all. "— Aai." She closed her eyes and firmly removed her hands from his hold.