For all of you who wished there was more of Incandescent... (I hope you don't regret asking)
Heavy velvet drapery covered the huge ground to ceiling window of the penthouse bedroom and blocked out the bright, clear day that it was outside. Khushi, who was sleeping peacefully, had no clue about the precise time of the day nor was she interested. She fluttered her eyes open momentarily to the sound of a door closing and saw that Arnav was not there beside her. They had always been early risers so Khushi gathered that it must be some time early in the morning. But today, she was much too sleepy to get out of bed so she went back into a peaceful sleep, the soft comfort of her bed luring her right back in.
While she thought that it was Arnav leaving for his morning jog or the workaholic in him waking up early to attend to some work before she woke, it was actually Arnav coming in to check on her for the third time since morning to see if she was awake or if everything was alright. Arnav didn't know what to make of it. Khushi wasn't one to sleep in so much and she was always up the minute she realized he was up. For the first two hours, he had kept calm owing it to her pregnancy but the longer she slept the more restive he became.
It was all new to him. She might be the one carrying the baby and he was in no way comparing what he felt to what she might be going through. But, he was coming to realize that becoming a father came with it's own emotional baggage. Only the physiological challenges excluded. That, within a few days of learning that his wife was pregnant. When they had been to the doctor and seen that tiny being for the first time, what he had experienced he would never be able to put in words. Learning that a tiny heart already beat in that pea sized body and listening to that rhythmic sound was an incredible experience.
He paced around his apartment feeling at edge. She hasn't eaten. Was that alright?
Maybe he should call his grandmother or someone from the family. They would know. But if it was something trivial, he couldn't live down their teasing. He could call the doctor. But she was only sleeping a little extra after all.
He pondered over his options and finally decided that he would Google. And so, Arnav Singh Raizada googled. He couldn't be satisfied with one answer, of course. So he read everything there is to on that first page of search result and then some. It put his mind at ease for the time being that it can't be anything abnormal. Though some of the results also made him decide that next time he would make sure that he didn't Google anything related to her pregnancy.
After checking on her again, he went to the kitchen and whipped up a quick breakfast for himself and his wife. And then he checked on her once more before going into his study.
It was almost noon when Khushi groggily opened her eyes. The darkened room still looked rather inviting but a quick look at the clock on her night stand jolted Khushi from the remnants of her sleep. She hurriedly got out of bed and after refreshing herself, went to find Arnav. On the way, she saw a glass of juice, a bowl of oatmeal, sprouted salad and some fruits on the table. Lord governor, she muttered and chuckled. He was such an angrez. Assuming it must be for her and owing to her rumbling stomach, she ate quickly and went to find Arnav.
Khushi opened the door to his study and found him seated behind his desk perusing a huge file. He was wearing a loose black shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and as he flicked the papers, her attention was drawn to his forearm that was visible due to the sleeves being folded to the elbow. As if in a trance, she watched the movement of his hands, admiring and found him look up just then.
She reddened at being caught staring.
"Hi." He said in a breathy voice that sent her pulses raging.
And Khushi flushed even more. She wasn't even surprised by that reaction after so many years. He would always have that effect on her, no matter what.
"Good morning. Tum theek ho?"
Khushi felt guilty at that. Knowing how he fussed for the tiniest thing when it came to her, she knew what he must have been through all the time she had been sleeping. "Hum theek hain, Arnavji. Sorry. I didn't realize it was so late," she said and made to sit on a chair opposite his table.
But Arnav extended his hands and softly said, "come here," which she took and was effectively brought around the table by him. He swiveled his chair around and parted his thighs. She walked in between and he put his hands around her waist and as soon as he had her where he wanted, he raised his head and touched his lips to hers with an exquisite tenderness that stunned her every single time, brushing back and forth in a progressive rhythm.
"Thank you for the breakfast. I was so hungry I gulped it down in minutes," she said when they finally ended the kiss.
"That figures. You must have been really hungry to have actually eaten that without a complain," he chuckled.
Khushi smiled sheepishly because he was right. She was a girl who liked her parathas and pickles. "I'll quickly make something for lunch," she said.
"We can always order out."
"From one of your expensive restaurants? Ji nahi! I'll manage something."
He chuckled again. "Payal said she'll drop by and she'll bring lunch."
"Oh," she said but then she realized that he had been teasing her when he said they could order out. "Arnavji! You were teasing me!"
"It's fun when you get rattled," he said squeezing her hips a bit and making her sit on his lap.
"Is she bringing Riddhi?"
"No. Seems she had a play date with a friend which extended to a sleepover with her friend staying over. She slept late and hadn't woken up by the time Payal left. They're going to the mall later. Payal will be here for a few minutes only because she wants to see you."
"Is she taking all the trouble to come here just to bring us lunch? We could have managed. Or they could have sent it through Mohan ji."
"Like I said she wants to see you. And she's actually coming to the office for a small work. She's going to run back immediately after that."
"I didn't realize 6 year olds had sleepovers," she said distractedly as her face contorted with unease at something.
"Why are you so surprised?"
"I still remember her as a little girl, that's all. Babies grow up so fast," she said splaying a hand over her still flat stomach. "For that matter, I still think of Ahaan that way. He was the sweetest and he loved me so much."
"He still does. Most of the times Khushi Mami is all he talks about. I might even think he's a little infatuated with you."
"Arnavji! He's only 11."
"What? He's hormonal. You know he wants a girlfriend like you?"
Khushi reddened. "Really? Did he tell you that?"
"Mhm."
"What did you say to him?"
"Nothing. He was just expressing an honest emotion. It's harmless and cute."
"Hmmm. Now that I think of it, I have never had a sleepover in my life. I had never even slept in a house that wasn't mine until I started working. And then—
"And then?" He husked with raised eyebrows.
Khushi reddened which was answer enough.
"You should then thank me for the experience," he said flicking her now red nose.
"Maybe. How is that a sleepover? Not that I had much sleep..."
"There is very little actual sleep involved in sleepovers," he said as he begun distractedly playing with the bow on her dress. "Though it might be different for kids, I think I enjoyed ours."
Khushi blushed and turned her attention to his hands. "Arnavji, what are you doing?"
"Why the hell won't this open?"
She was wearing a mulberry silk one-piece pullover nightgown that reached her knees and looked absolutely fetching on her. The ivory of the gown blended in with her natural skin tone. The wide and gently pleated neckline had a bow like tie-up that Arnav was trying to open up.
"You figure it out. You are the fashion designer here."
"I would never design something so nonfunctional . At least not for you. Is it ours?"
Khushi nodded rapidly and when he started tugging impatiently she stopped his hands and said, "Stop. You're going to tear it. It's not a tie. It's an embellishment."
"How the hell do you remove it?"
"Arnavji, baby can hear you."
"Would they also know what their parents are doing?"
"Arnavji..." Khushi's face twisted again. "I think..."
"Khushi, what is it?"
She hastily got up from his lap and ran, with Arnav closely in tow and barely reached the bathroom before she threw up the entire content of her breakfast.
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I think I haven't let go of this story yet. I really hope you like reading this. Like, vote and comment to let me know!
For a while (a loooong while), I have been toying with this idea of a sequel. I had started writing notes back last year because I wanted to post it by New Years or Valentines but as is obvious I'm pathetically slow. I would still have not posted it now but then I decided if I didn't just post it, I would never even finish writing anything I have begun (You can't imagine the number of incomplete documents on my laptop). Also, with the world today, I think everyday is special.
Let's just pretend that the world is Covid free in sapnon ki duniya! Asli duniya is hard enough. I thought lots and decided to not include Covid in the story.
And I hope you're all masking up, distancing and staying safe. I think we have all learned first hand what it means by Prevention is (definitely) better than cure.