Three weeks, and four drafts later, presenting to you, Chapter Fifty-Six. I honestly don't know how to feel about it, so please help me out by leaving some feedback?
Arvi
I take a deep breath to calm myself, turning on my heel to hide my face from him as the façade crumbles. Dabbing my waterline with my finger, I assure myself that all will be well. It'll get better and alright.
I'm almost ready to turn around and give Arjun a piece of my mind for calling our marriage passive-aggressive bullshit, but Arjun's hesitant arms come around me from the back, as if he's scared I might go off at him, and even though I was ready to do just that, less than a moment ago, his warmth is a welcomed comfort.
I hold Arjun's forearms, pulling them closer to myself and fall back into his embrace, giving him the 'go' to hold me properly.
"I'm sorry Arvi," he whispers, but I quickly shake my head, stopping him from saying anything further.
"Please don't say anything," I request, turning to hug him. "Just— please, hold me for a moment."
I hide my face in his chest, breathing in his scent. The emotional exhaustion begins to fade as I find comfort in his embrace.
Why's everything about Arjun so comforting even when I want to be mad at him?
"Doesn't it bother you? Having to stay apart for six months?" I ask softly, resting my cheek against his chest.
"We're going to keep seeing each other, we can make it work."
"No, Arjun." I look up at him. "I know we can make it work, but it's going to be hard work. We're to stay in two different places for six months or more."
"Arvi, I'll keep visiting, and you can keep visiting whenever you have the time. It's honestly not going to be that hard. Trust me, we'll make it."
"You don't understand, Arjun," I huff, desperately. "This isn't about visiting each other and making it work. This is about staying away and making it work. You think we'll be able to visit each other, but once you're swamped with work and I'm doing my thing— it's not going to be easy. For all you know, we might not be able to see each other for six months. You'll be alone in Dubai, and I'll be here, without you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Arjun looks at me searchingly and lets out a small smile before nodding. "It will be hard," he agrees. "But if you think we can make it, I'm sure we can."
I take a step back from Arjun, replying sarcastically, "sure. If you can put up with this passive-aggressive bullshit for longer. I'm sure we can."
He stares at me as if he doesn't understand where I'm coming from. "What do you mean?" he asks, slowly, sounding as perplexed as he looks.
My jaw drops at his question. "What do you mean what I mean?" I retort, angrily. "Ten minutes ago, you called our marriage passive-aggressive bullshit. You couldn't have forgotten so soon!"
"I didn't," are the first words to leave Arjun's mouth, but seeing the extremely serious look on my face, he gapes, pointing to himself. "Did I?"
"Yes, you did," I exclaim. "Less than ten minutes ago! How can you not remember?"
"I don't know," Arjun says. "I can't think of saying such a thing—"
"Well, you did," I state bluntly.
"I'm sorry, Janaki," he apologises, sounding so sincere, it breaks my heart for even expecting an apology from him. "I didn't mean it, I shouldn't have said it. I'd never say such a thing. I'm so sorry."
I fold my arms over my stomach. I know he's sorry, but I can't get myself to tell him it's alright. There's just something that's plainly unsettling about this entire exchange.
"But you still said it."
"I should not have," he admits, softly.
"Don't ever say it again," I tell him, trying desperately to stop my voice from quivering. I bite my lower lip to stop it from wobbling. "This marriage is precious to me; you're precious to me." I take in a deep breath to calm myself before continuing. "I don't want to hear something like that from you when I'm trying to give it my best at every moment of the day."
I can only take Arjun's word for it as he promises, "it'll never happen again."
"And about Dubai—" I hold his hand— "I'm proud of you, Junnu; so incredibly proud of you."
"Thank you," Arjun whispers, hugging me, and continuing on a hesitant note, "Are we okay?"
"I am," I confirm. "Are you?"
"I am, if you are," he affirms, kissing my forehead.
~.~.~.~.~
Arjun and I end up on the lawn outside, where Arjun leads me to a rusty, old swing. He proceeds to sit on the only piece of seating furniture, causing it to creak noisily, and I flinch, quickly reaching out to Arjun as if to save him from the fall.
"I'm fine," Arjun assures me, smiling. He pats the place next to him, inviting me to sit on the ancient swing set.
"Did this come with the house or did you have to go to any trouble to bring it here?" I mock, warily eyeing the piece of outdoor furniture.
"For someone with enough courage to dive off a cliff, this old thing sure scares you," Arjun teases back.
"Scares me because it's old," I clarify, slowly lowering myself onto the seat, first resting my palms on it before steadily placing my whole weight onto it. When the swing doesn't make a sound, I triumphantly move back in a quick action, causing it to squeak, the sound sharper than before.
Arjun laughs at my antics. "Could've just sat down normally," he suggests, and I respond grumpily, with a glare.
I try to adjust myself to sit comfortably and also prevent this old thing from making a sound when Arjun compliments, "you look beautiful."
I stop what I'm doing as the heat rushes to my face. A shocked, "huh?" leaves my mouth unintentionally.
Arjun's lips turn up into the familiar smirk I never thought I'd miss. "You look beautiful," he repeats, accentuating his words with a soft, velvety chuckle.
I look down at my clothes. I'd thrown on the first set I could find, a white kurta and grey ankle-length leggings. White, I realise-- Arjun's favourite colour.
Tucking hair behind my ear, I compose myself before moving back to lean against Arjun, not caring for the creaking of the swing.
"You haven't told me the story of the house yet," I remind him.
When I don't hear a response from him, I lean back a little, to look at his face. "Hm?" Arjun hums suddenly, seeming to have broken from a daze. "The house," he reminds himself.
I thought the daydreamer between the two of us had been me. Since when had Arjun turned into one?
"The house... like I said," he starts, distracting me from my chain of thought. "I'd bought it before Savitri left for the States," he repeats.
"You told me that before," I complain, impatiently. "Tell me the rest of it."
"Shh..." he shushes me, shifting to make himself comfortable. "Don't interrupt the flow."
I back into Arjun's embrace, sitting on his lap, much to the dismay of the creaking swing set. "Do you think it'll break?" I question Arjun, looking up at the rusty hinges of the swing.
"We'll see," he says, coiling his arms around me, and I relax into his hold, unbothered by the high possibility of falling.
"Continue," I whine, slapping his thigh to gain his faltering attention.
"Sorry," Arjun apologises. "I was just thinking back to that time in life."
"When Savi still stayed with you?"
"When I readied myself to move out, along with Savi, should the need have been."
It takes some time for the words to sink in. "Both of you got kicked out of the house at once?"
Arjun has the nerve to laugh at my seriously-asked question. "No," he replies, calming me. "We wanted to boycott our parents," he explains, and that throws me into a whirlpool of questions.
Boycott their parents? Boycott Ram Mamayya and Gayatri Athayya? Arjun and Savi have the best relationship with their parents, the kind that's practically unheard of, especially in my experience.
"Why?" I exclaim.
"Savi's studies," Arjun explains. "They wanted her to be an engineer, like the rest of us," he continues, "but Savi's interest lay in a completely different field, English and Psychology."
I remember what Pranathi Vadina had told me about their parents. The freedom to choose their careers, how Arjun had stepped in and his reaction had ultimately forced their parents to concede to Savitri's choices.
"My mother was dead against the idea," he tells me. "Coming from a conservative household, she wanted that her daughter has the financial independence that she didn't have, even as a shareholder with a role in the company, she had always thought she didn't deserve it. She still thinks she gets paid for doing nothing.
"Ma thought pursuing Psychology and English would be an entire waste, it's not likely to morph into a definitive career path. To practice psychology, Savitri would have to study to get a doctorate, and with English, the career options were too narrow, at least in my mother's opinion.
"One of our parents wanted that she pursue a practical course, and the other, dearest to Savi, had denied her of her sincerest wishes for the first time in her life.
"Our mother tried to convince Savi to take up another course. If not Civil Engineering that they wanted her to pursue, and also not English and Psychology that she wanted to pursue, they had suggested that she look at other options in the engineering field.
"Savi was adamant on not wanting anything to do with engineering or the sciences. The only way she had agreed to take up the sciences even in the eleventh and twelfth grades was because she didn't want to upset our parents, and she insisted that she had tried to bring herself to like her subjects, but to no avail, for her heart was set elsewhere.
"From occasional arguments that our parents thought were just Savi's teenage rebellion, the issue escalated until Savi had been so pressured that she would breakdown multiple times in a week, sometimes for silly reasons like cooking a dish she didn't like, and by the time I had come home from the US, the situation was out of hand.
"I tried to talk to my parents, make them understand, I even attempted at making my mother understand that Savi wouldn't be as our mother was because she has a supportive family, but everyone was adamant. Savi was spiralling into depression, and our parents refused to acknowledge it, sticking to their ideology. Finally, I grew tired of the condition at home; it had become an argument about Savi's career, to a matter of her health and was impacting her severely, especially because until then we'd hardly ever had many disagreements with our parents.
"Amma and Nanna were very supportive of us except for this one case and that made it worse for Savi. She nearly succumbed to their arguments, almost agreeing to pursue engineering, but I put my foot down and said she'd do what she wanted and nothing else.
"Our parents were stubborn, but so was I. In a way, I may have done all of that to appease my conscience," Arjun wonders out loud. He looks at me, smiling as he finishes the story. "When they didn't budge, I bought this house and said Savi and I would move out, which is when our parents finally caved."
When Pranathi Vadina had said Arjun fought for Savi to go to the States and earn a degree in English and Psychology, I hadn't thought the story would be anywhere near as intense as this.
"And after that?" I ask, mindlessly.
"Well, Savi went off to college, and I'm here, along with my parents."
"No, I mean your relationship with your parents— if I bought a house to move out, mine would've disowned me."
Arjun laughs as though I were joking. "They could never disown you."
"You know nothing about my parents if that's what you think," I counter. "They'll never look at my face again. But it's a waste of time to even think of it. I would never be able to do something like this."
"Buying a house is really not that hard, Arvi," Arjun teases.
I roll my eyes, letting the corners of my lips quirk up a little. "You know what I mean."
"I knew what the stakes would be, though," Arjun says. "I was pretty sure they'd come around at this point."
"You've put a lot of thought into buying this house," I point out. "You certainly thought there was a possibility of moving here."
All of my questions stem from the absurdity of the situation. In hindsight, it might seem more like something I would do; reckless, mindless, unthinkingly, led by my heart. But Arjun? Arjun's the entire opposite of that. The Arjun I know wouldn't pull something like this.
"I was different back then," he murmurs, reluctant to admit it. "It was like I had a point to prove. If I came to face similar circumstances today, I wouldn't be able to buy a house, either."
Arjun's confession only makes me think I'm yet to learn about him wholly, there are still parts of him I'm not familiar with. However, unlike from a time before when it would've made me feel insecure because of all the things I do not know about my husband, now, it makes me feel an excitement; to know him more; to discover him, us, and our relationship.
The more I know of him, the deeper I fall for him, the less I'm inclined to ever leave his side, the more my heart is pained by our separation.
~.~.~.~.~
"What are you thinking about, Mrs Kona?" Arjun asks, scooting over to my side as I sit on our bed with my legs stretched out in front of me.
"Nothing," I reply, shaking my head.
"Mhm," Arjun hums, sliding lower to rest his head on my shoulder. "Did you like the house?" he asks as I straighten myself to make him comfortable.
"I did, of course. It's beautiful," I answer, honestly. "But I was thinking— isn't it too big just for the two of us?"
Arjun lifts his head off my shoulder to kiss my jaw before nestling back into my neck. "It won't always be just the two of us," he mutters huskily against the skin of my nape as he nuzzles me with his long, straight nose.
I giggle, feeling ticklish. "Arjun," I admonish lightly, between my giggling, trying to dissuade him from doing as he is.
Arjun moves back, chuckling. "I missed our intimate time together," he says, pressing a lingering kiss against my forehead.
It's my turn to chuckle. "Our what?"
Arjun's tanned cheeks tint pink as he narrows his eyes at me in insincere annoyance.
"Our intimate time together," he repeats, stressing on each word as he speaks. Arjun's eyes glisten with an intense mischievous gleam, and I know I'm done for.
"Okay," I accept, trying to appear sincere as I scoot to the side, in an attempt to escape.
"Where are you going?" he asks, holding both of my wrists in one of his hands and pushing me back with the resistance I provide. Laughter racks my body before Arjun even touches me, much to his amusement.
He pins my hands against the bed before attacking me with tickles, causing me to squirm under him, laughing and begging him to stop as my stomach aches from the exhausting laughter. "P-p-please Arjun," I manage to stutter and gasp between bouts of convulsions.
"Say these words and I'll stop," Arjun wagers, momentarily stopping the torture as he recites the words to me. "Say you are the bestest husband in the whole wide world, and I love you to the moon and back." Before I can think he's done, he seems to have a realisation and he continues, "my love for you runs deeper than the ocean and higher than the sky."
"Good to know," I respond cheekily to his teasing.
Once again, Arjun's eyes narrow at me in good humour.
"No, no, no," I beg. "No, please, no."
"Fine, then," he retracts his hand. "If you can't please me with words—" he doesn't even try to hide the mischief in his eyes as he continues— "do something else."
My body is quick to heat up at the implication. I gulp, trying to gauge his mood. He was playful a second ago, but now, the dark hunger in his eyes makes my heart race; a promise of a long night.
And then, all thought is lost as his lips connect with mine and our hands explore each other. Passion leads the night, and I can't regain myself from its searing grip.
~.~.~.~.~
The next morning, I wake up to Arjun's alarm. One of these days, I'm going to smash his damn phone to the ground if he doesn't change that sound.
"What's the time?" I groan, pulling the comforter over my naked body and covering my face with a pillow.
"6:45," Arjun answers, pecking the back of my hand.
I raise my head above the pillow, my eyes itching from the lack of sleep. "Why are you up?"
"I have training at home today," he replies, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Go back to sleep, you seem really tired."
"I have to go to wor—" my alarm rings before I can finish the sentence, making me groan in annoyance. "Fuck my life," I mutter under my breath, switching off the alarm.
"I have to get to work early today," I whine, looking at Arjun sullenly.
Arjun presses his lips together, trying to mask a smile. "Do you want me to drop you?"
"And then make fun of me for acting like a kindergartener? No, thank you," I state, crossly, rubbing my eyes to get rid of the itchiness.
"I won't make fun of you," Arjun bargains.
I wink an eye open. "Promise?"
"Promise," he agrees.
"But you have to workout," I point out.
"By when do you have to be at work?" he asks.
"Eight-thirty," I answer.
"That's plenty of time," Arjun waves off. "Get ready and I'll drop you off."
"Okay," I grin.
~.~.~.~.~
By 8:10, I walk downstairs fully dressed, thinking about what Karthik would do if I'm late. He'll have my head, I confirm to myself, quickening my pace to jog down the stairs.
"You're not ready," I cry, seeing Arjun in his sweaty gym vest, drinking fresh orange juice. Arjun turns to look at me, his eyebrows raised as he finishes the remnants of his juice.
My mother-in-law seems to be alerted of my presence when I do so. "You're leaving already?" she questions.
"I have to be at work early today," I tell her, throwing a sullen look at my husband from the corner of my eyes.
"Have breakfast before you leave, then," she says, pinning me down with a stern look like she knows what's coming next.
I brave a sheepish smile. "I have to be at the office by 8:30," I murmur, biting my lower lip as I await her reaction.
One thing my mother-in-law hates is when people skip meals. It makes her angry. I've seen her go off at her husband, son, and when I was sick, I got to see it up close. I'd seen enough to know that this shouldn't be happening, but I can't help it. The office is at least a fifteen-minute drive, without traffic.
"You will eat and go," she states, strictly. "You should've planned before time if you have to get to work early—"
"She did—" Arjun comes to my defence.
"I woke up late," I lie, shooting Arjun a look to shut him up. "But I really have to get to work, Athayya."
"Eat and leave," she decrees.
"I'll eat at work, I promise," I appeal. "I'll send you a picture, too. Please, Athayya."
"No." She is adamant. "Eating outside food is unhealthy. And this is simply not done. You've been sick an entire week. I need to see that you eat before you leave."
"Just give it to her in a box," Arjun suggests. "I'll make sure she finishes eating before I drop her."
"But you're not even ready," I protest. "You're going to make me late."
Arjun gapes at me like I said something to offend him, and looks down at himself. "I am ready," he retorts.
"You're sweaty," I point out. "You haven't showered after training this morning."
"Yes, Arjun," his mother scolds. "If you want to leave Arvi to work, shouldn't you have showered already?"
"What does showering have anything to do with driving Arvi to work? I'm not going to work."
"It's called hygiene," both Gayatri Athayya and I snap at once and look at each other appreciatively.
"Both of you are ganging up against me," he mutters. "Wait a minute, I'll change my shirt and come."
"I will have breakfast packed so that you can eat in the car," Athayya tells me, leaving before I have the chance to open my mouth and say anything.
I'm left standing on the marble floor, dread filling me as Karthik's glares flash in my head. My brother's really loving, caring and would never yell at me, but it's so easy to see if he's disappointed and he hates when people are late for scheduled meetings.
I call Preeti, his PA to inform her that I'll be late by a few minutes, hoping that some notice will cool him down a little.
Preeti tells me that Karthik himself is going to be late, and I end the call, thanking my lucky stars.
Arjun comes down in a different gym vest, baring his muscled arms proudly just as a maid walks out of the kitchen with my packed breakfast.
Sighing in relief, I kiss my mother-in-law bye and drag Arjun out of the house.
I open the packed box as soon as we sit in Arjun's Aston Martin. I miss going out with Arjun in this car. I'd been driving us ever since Arjun told me he doesn't enjoy the activity too much.
My stomach groans in hunger, making my face heat up. I sneak a look at Arjun, only to catch his twinkling gaze.
"Eat up, you need the energy after last night."
I fumble with the radio, refusing to encourage Arjun's teasing with any other response.
While I chew on my dosa, I tear a piece for Arjun.
He opens his mouth and eats the first bite, but refuses the second. "I'll go back home and have breakfast anyway. You should finish eating, or you'll be tired throughout the day."
"I can't eat it all myself," I argue, nudging his mouth with the dosa in my hand.
"You'd woken up early today," Arjun says, hinting at the lie I had told his mother.
I clear my throat. "Getting ready took some time."
Arjun raises an eyebrow, but I look away, not indulging the conversation further. He'll simply say something to turn me into a tomato.
By the time we reach the office, I manage to gobble down three dosas, while I feed Arjun two. How would I have eaten all five by myself?
I close the box when we enter the gate, wiping my hands off with a tissue, that I also dab around my lips, making sure my lipstick isn't smudged.
"Dinner at Manjula Aunty's, you remember, don't you?"
Arjun nods in response, bringing the car to a halt in front of the isolated entrance. It's too early for any employees to be here since the office timings start from 10:00 onwards.
"Bye, then," I mutter, leaning over my seat to kiss his cheek.
Arjun accepts the kiss, but taunts me as I pull away, "not too sweaty now?"
"Just as cute as ever," I stress, knowing he doesn't like that particular adjective as I poke his grumpy cheek.
Arjun narrows his eyes at me. "You will pay for that."
I chuckle as I press another kiss on his cheek. "I'm rich and willing enough," I respond cheekily, winking at him before I step out of the car.
A/N
Hello! I'm sorry about these late updates, but I'm truly very busy, and then as the story comes to an end, I want to make sure I'm not hurrying it, that I'm wrapping it up carefully and consistently, which is why I'm unable to find satisfaction with a lot of my writing.
I didn't know what to think of this chapter, but I think I've hated all that turbulence so much, that I just wanted to finish with it. Please tell me if you think that part was out of character, or odd.
Lastly, I hope you're all well and healthy! Please stay safe, and take care of yourselves and your family! And let me know how you're doing! It's been soooo long. (Yes, that is my fault, don't look at me like that) As for me, as I said, I'm just too busy with a few personal things. I've gotten some tips on tackling my problem with my writing, so hopefully, the next chapter won't be three weeks away.
With much love,
A.