Remembering Us

Decisions

She deposited the bags on his bed and turned to look at him working away on his laptop. She joined him on the recliner and leaned against him. He threw his arm around her and gave her a cursory kiss on the side of her head before looking down at his laptop again. 

"Arnav?"

"Mmm?"

"When is the flight, again?"

"6.30 in the evening, 6 days from now. You seem to have already started packing." he said amused, looking at the bags on his bed. 

"No," she said in a small voice. 

"I still haven't told anyone at home!" she said looking up at him. 

"Why not? Do you want me to tell them?" he asked, closing his laptop and placing it on the coffee-table.

"No! That way they can't say no! If I ask them, they'll be able to say no and not allow it," she said with despair. 

She couldn't stop thinking about her trip with Arnav since the minute she had agreed to it. Two whole weeks with him in a new city without any of their families, alone. She didn't want to miss it for the world. But if Buaji wouldn't agree.. well, that was that.

"I'll ask them tonight," she told herself.

"You know, I don't get what the fuss is all about. You're an adult! And you're going somewhere with the man you're one day going to be marrying! You just have to tell them and not ask them if it's okay," he said derisively.

"Well, I'm not Arnav Singh Raizada. Unlike him, I have manners," she said grinning cheekily.

He moved her so that he now had her against the recliner his face inches from hers. 

"Manners? You're right. He has an utter disregard for them," he said crushing his lips to hers. 

She cupped his face, gently caressing his skin as the kiss started out slow and sweet. How they both ended up out of breath and with his hands under her dress, she could not remember. She smiled up at him, her blush spreading down her neck. That penetrating gaze and that cocky smile made him so frustratingly attractive that she didn't know whether she wanted to hit him or kiss him some more. She removed her hands from where they were tugging at his collar and wound her arms around his neck. 

A noise inside the room shook them both out of their haze. He quickly got off her and she sat up, only to see Lakshmi nibbling on the edge of the bedsheet.

"Something has to be done about that goat," he said scowling, while Khushi only laughed and went to the goat with a cheerful 'Lakshmiji!', scooping her up in her arms. 

"Okay, I think I'd better leave now," she said still flushed. She left the goat near the poolside and walked back to him thinking of what would have happened if Lakshmiji hadn't disrupted their moment. 

Apparently Arnav was thinking on the same lines, too. 

"I'll be there at 1."

"No! It might take all night to convince Buaji!" she said throwing her hands up dramatically. 

"Okay, then good luck," he said rolling his eyes and making his disappointment clear. 

"I'll see you tomorrow. And tell you if I'm coming.. or not." she said reaching up on her toes to kiss him one more time. He automatically had his arms around her and pressed her closer to him. Her hands went up to his neck and she rubbed them against his soft hair. 

After what seemed like a very short time to him, Khushi drew back with a dazed smile and he rested his head against hers. They were both breathing heavily. Arnav enjoyed watching the effect he had on her. She felt the effect that she had on him too because their bodies were so close. She looked up at him with shining eyes and slightly swollen lips, her cheeks stained red. She couldn't wait to go to Mumbai.

 *

Arnav watched her leave and when he was sure she was out of earshot, picked up his phone and called Aman.

"Hello Aman? You did book two tickets, right?"

"Of-course sir."

"Very good." he said with a satisfying smirk before disconnecting.

Khushi was going with him whether her family liked it or not.