As rays of morning sunshine reflected against the glass window pane, a groan escaped Khusi's throat. Tucking herself beneath the blanket, Khusi's eyes fluttered open at the sight of Yuti's little arms and her tiny adorable face. A smile broke out on her lips. She didn't even remember when she fell asleep last night while gossiping with the chirpy Yuti.
She was a tiny ball of sunshine with too much energy for one person to hold.
The warmth of the blanket and a source of heat behind her, which she was too sleepy to investigate, was too comfortable to abandon. So she decided to stay beneath the blanket for a few more minutes, before she had to wake up and get ready for the day.
A yawn escaped past her lips and Khusi pushed her hips backwards to stretch her limbs. But before she could bask in it, the strong grip of a heavy arm, which she didn't realise was snaked around her waist, tightened and a groan came from behind.
"I will recommend against rubbing your butt against my manhood, the first thing in the morning, Khusi. It had already been a torture last night, sleeping beside you."
Khusi's breath hitched and her eyes snapped open at the husky morning voice of Abhay. His words rumbled in his chest against her back. She gasped and her face snapped backwards to see a sleepy looking Abhay gazing at her with aroused eyes. His messy hair was perfectly adoring his forehead. A sight for sore eyes.
A thought crossed her mind and her eyes rounded.
"Did we ... ?" beside Yuti ?
Khusi's gaze snapped downwards, her heart in her throat. A sigh escaped past her lips when she saw her clothes were intact.
Abhay chortled and snuggled his face into her hair, his gaze tightening on her waist. "We didn't. I was just missing my favorite girls last night. So I decided to sneak inside the bed with you two."
"Ohh. Thank God. I thought ... , " she grumbled and turned around, tucking her face beneath Abhay's chin, her lips grazing his throat. Her fingers went around his back but it met naked flesh. She felt a few lines of scabs and bit her lips.
"Yeah, last time's scratches have healed. If you're ready to give new ones, this dude is prepared for it," he growled low in his throat, his fingers lazily fondling Khusi's hips.
"Mine haven't." Khusi drew away only to pull her t-shirt down a little to show Abhay her collarbones. A huge hickey was still sitting on top of her breast.
"Hmm, this won't fade so fast unlike the ones on your neck. I took my time with this one," he hummed, caressing that hickey with the pad of his thumb.
"Stop touching me. You're making me horny. And we're sleeping beside Yuti, so no bad business," Khusi chided, though it was evident from her voice that she was already aroused.
One of Abhay's eyebrows quirk up and his lip tilted up in a smirk. "You're the one who can't keep her hands to herself."
True to his words Khusi fingers were already down his sternum as she caressed his abs, her lips leaving sloppy kisses on Abhay's jaws.
She groaned and threw the blanket away from her body. Jumping down the bed, she made sure Yuti was asleep and tucked her securely beneath the blanket. Peeking a look at her, she dragged Abhay out of the bed and pushed him out of the door.
"Hey," Abhay whined, rubbing his neck, his lower lip jutted out in a pout.
Who would believe the implacable OC of the town, pouts?
"No more kisses for you today," Khusi teased, her features playful and shut the door on his face.
•••
Yuti's face scrunched up in annoyance as she saw Abhay taking out the jar of pineapple jam from the cabinet.
"No jam for me. I want peanut butter," Yuti announced, grabbing her glass of fruit juice.
"Sure sweetheart," Abhay quickly picked up the peanut butter jar and spread it on Yuti's toast. He didn't mind Yuti's snarky tone. As long as she was talking to him, he was more than happy to comply with her demands.
"Here you go sweetie." Abhay bent to put the plate in front of Yuti on the table and swiftly left a peck on top of her head.
Yuti mumbled a thanks and started nibbling on her toast, her legs dangling beneath the table.
"And here you go, love." The last word was uttered in a whispered tone as Abhay put the omelette in front of Khusi and stole a kiss surreptitiously from her.
Khusi was too shocked for a second to react. But the time she realised what Abhay did, her eyes flew towards Yuti who was still nibbling on her toast silently. She sighed in relief but it didn't last long.
"I didn't see anything."
Abhay bit his lips to stop himself from chuckling as Khusi's face turned red. She didn't want the child to get wrong ideas about her father and her teacher. She herself didn't know where she stood in Abhay's life. In their life.
A sudden thought struck her out of nowhere. What was she still doing in Abhay's house? Nitin Joshi was behind bars for quite a few days now. His position was snatched from him and his connections with his party members was getting weak every passing day. Any day now, and they could be hearing the news that he wasn't a member of the ruling party of the state anymore.
It was safe for her to shift back to Ms. Archana's house again. Then why hadn't she yet? She should.
"Why are we having breakfast so early today?" Yuti asked, interrupting Khusi's chain of thoughts.
"Because, we are going to meet your friend David. He is getting new parents today."
Khusi's words brought a wide grin on Yuti's face. She hopped down the chair, her excitement on brink.
"Really !? That means he will be happy from now onwards? He won't be getting hurt anymore, isn't it? His old parents were really bad people"
The pleasant smile that had come upon Khusi's face at Yuti's excitement, vanished for a second, but she managed to bring it back and fake it for the time being.
"No Yuti. He will be in safe hands now. David's worst days are over."
"Okay then. I will go, get ready and be back in 2 minutes." Yuti dashed out of the dining room.
Khusi heaved a deep sigh and massaged her forehead as the past few days played behind her eyes. Handling Diyasha and Harsh was the hardest job she and Abhay had to handle.
Apparently, both of them only trusted Abhay and Khusi when it came to David's safety, so it was either one of them who had to be a babysitter for David when Harsh and Diyasha had gone for hours arguing behind closed doors. Mostly it was Diyasha.
Now Khusi knew why their marriage was a complete failure from the very beginning. There wasn't any balance in it. She had picked up bits and pieces of the problem as Diyasha had literally yelled for hours at Harsh.
It wasn't a secret that Harsh Agartala was one of the most demanding, insensitive and rudest human Khusi had ever met in her life. What had truly shocked her was his silence whenever Diyasha had yelled at him. That man hadn't uttered a single word. He had legit stood his ground for hours in front of Diyasha, silently, when all she had done was throw curses at him.
It wasn't until Abhay and Khusi intervened, and advised them to act in front of the lawyer as if their conflict had been solved for the sake of David, had Diyasha ceased. Time was running low. They couldn't let anyone else win David's custody. Nitin's lawyer Charu was still trying to prove how incompetent Harsh and Diyasha were as a couple, to adopt David.
A caress of soft lips brought her out of her trance as Khusi shook her head and her gaze flew to Abhay. Her open palm was resting on his as he gently kissed it. Her lips automatically tilted up in a smile.
"So that's what I need to do, to get your attention and that charming smile? Kiss?" Abhay twitched his eyebrows up in a teasing manner.
Khusi didn't understand how she landed herself a man like him. Sometimes she felt like Abhay was legit obsessed with her, but in a good way. He made her feel special, wasn't shy with any open display of affection, supportive, understanding, and always kept her needs before his. How was he so perfect?
As that thought crossed her mind, a shiver went down her spine. The countenance of a certain someone emerged in her brain and she swiftly pulled away her hand from Abhay's.
Even Bhaskar was perfect in every aspect, until he wasn't anymore.
Will Abhay change as well, after she decides to lay open her heart?
"Hey, what happe ...?"
"Let's go!" Yuti appeared in the doorway, interrupting Abhay, her eyes twinkling with joy. Khusi grasped that opportunity to ignore Abhay's curious gaze and stood up.
"Yeah, let's go."
•••
The atmosphere in the car was tense as Abhay drove towards the court. Something was bothering Khusi, but he decided against asking her. Khusi needed some space and he was ready to give it to her.
Khusi's head was resting on a window as various thoughts penetrated her mind. She had been wondering for a few days now. A few months back she was this tired, lonely and heartbroken new girl in the town, trying to survive the next day. 9 months had passed since then, and she had gradually improved a lot.
Her cold exterior and iron gilded heart had been peeled open layer by layer by Abhay. She had vowed a long time ago that she would never trust or fall in love with anyone ever. But it wasn't a secret anymore that she had inevitably fallen for Abhay. She didn't know when Abhay, with his words and actions, had unlocked the door to her heart.
But they hadn't discussed what they were yet. Marriage scared the hell out of her. She was petrified of being called someone's wife. Commitment was a ground Khusi didn't want to trek on anymore. She wanted Abhay but the possibility that he might want more from here one day was terrifying.
"How long is it going to take?" Yuti broke the silence of the car with her question. Abhay was just about to reply when Yuti's head turned back to gaze at Khusi as if she was asking her the question.
Abhay's face fell which Khusi noticed from the rearview mirror.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask your papa?" Khusi said tactfully, and turned her head to look out of the window. She also needed to make strong decisions. She wasn't going to act as the media of conversation between the father daughter anymore.
Yuti plopped down back on her seat, her expressions turning sour. Pressing her lips in a thin line, she looked at Abhay from beneath her lashes.
"How long is it going to take, papa?" Yuti's voice brought a smile on Abhay's face and she blinked a thank at Khusi through the rearview mirror
"10 mins sweetheart." Abhay replied, his gaze returning back to the road.
"Don't sweetheart me. You never used to call me by those cringey names. I prefer shaitan over sweetheart anyway," Yuti grumbled, annoyed at Abhay's over the top sweet gestures. She hated when someone tried to coddle her up too much.
"Thik hai, mere nanhe shaitan," Abhay chuckled ruffling her hair.
(Alright, my tiny devil)
"Papa! Don't mess my hair!"
"But I made it in the first place."
"No you didn't. I tied my hair today."
"Oh, tabhi itni kharab lag rahi thi."
(Oh, that's why you were looking so bad)
"Papa!"
Khusi shook her head and giggled at their bickering. She would miss this.
•••
By the time the car came to a halt in front of the court, it was already past the designated time. Abhay quickly hopped down his car and strode inside the office as he was requested by the lawyer to be present at the time of signing of the documents.
Khusi and Yuti exited the car and decided to wait for them. It was then when an idea struck her.
She kneeled in front of Yuti and adjusted her messy braid. True to Abhay's words it was looking horrendous but she didn't want to bring that up.
"Why were you upset at your papa for so long, Yuti?" Khusi asked.
Yuti tucked her face down, as if trying to hide it inside her jacket but then looked back at Khusi the very next second.
"I wasn't upset at papa. I was a bit scared of him after watching him beat a man. I was worried that if I made him too mad one day, he will ... "
Khusi quickly shook her head, her palm flying up to cup Yuti's cheeks. "Shh, no Yuti. Your father will never hurt you. Never. Nor will anyone else."
Yuti's tiny arms circled around Khusi's neck as she embraced her. "Really, Khusi ma'am? He won't?"
"No Yuti. Your papa only punishes the bad guys to protect us and the people of this town." Khusi cooed, rubbing the back of Yuti's head.
"Ohh, is it? Then he protected David as well?" Yuti asked, breaking the hug, her eyes eager.
"Yes. David is safe now and that credit goes to your papa. He saved him and David will have a happy life ahead."
As if on cue, David, Diyasha and Harsh sauntered out of the court, his little fingers clasped around Diyasha's. Abhay, who was standing behind them, came beside Khusi and interlocked their fingers.
"David!"
"Yuti!"
None of them could hold back their excitement.They acted as if they were meeting after ages when it had only been two weeks since they met. Their bodies collided as the duo hugged each other.
Abhay's body went tensed, his eyes flaring at the sight. He was about to lunge at Yuti to split the hug, when Khusi tightened her grasp. His scowling face turned towards Khusi who shook her head, a glare coating her features.
"But ... "
"They're just children. Calm down."
Abhay huffed out an annoyed breath and glared at Harsh Agartala. That man had a lopsided grin on his face as he gazed at Abhay in a taunting manner.
"You better advise your son to keep his hands to himself in future."
"I will, but who knows what the future beholds." Khusi bit her lips to stop herself from smiling whereas Diyasha giggled openly at Abhay. He was just about to give Harsh a piece of his mind when a call interrupted him.
Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he strode away.
Diyasha was on her knees talking with Yuti and David when Khusi felt movements beside her. Her eyes turned.
"Miss Khusi."
"Sir."
There was an awkward silence as both of them stared at each other.
"Thank you for bringing back purpose to my life. You really are a very brave woman and you have no idea how much you have changed and influenced so many people's lives. Me, Diyasha, David. We are a family today only because of you. I have seen that man acting less impulsive and Yuti more grounded after your entry in their life. But don't do anything too reckless in future."
Khusi didn't know how to react. The man who had criticised her once for her bravery, was expressing gratitude to her today. She passed him a small smile. Her eyes searched for a particular man in the sea of people who were strolling outside the court premises. It halted when it rested upon Abhay
"Although I doubt it will ever be a problem, now that he is always there to protect you," Harsh added pointing at Abhay, who was yelling at someone on his phone, his features hard.
At this her face snapped towards Harsh, her smile vanishing. A protector? Was Abhay just a protector to her? Was she using him from the very beginning?
Abhay was striding towards them after finishing the phone call when Yuti sprinted at him. Her body clashed with Abhay's legs and she hugged them, her eyes shining in mirth.
"Thank you papa for protecting us and for being a superhero. I love you."
Abhay was too shocked for a second to react. But as her action and words registered in his brain, a wide grin spread across his face. Bending down, he brought Yuti up and adjusted her weight on his hip.
As the father daughter duo ambled towards Yuti, chatting animatedly, a strong resolution manifested in her head.
It was time for her to get out of their life.
~ • • • • • ~
I have been posting reels and posts on my author Instagram page almost regularly now. If you're interested to see some character aesthetic head over to my page and do follow me on IG. I will be posting Khusi and Abhay's character aesthetic reel on Instagram this week. Link in my bio.
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