Valley of Flowers

Chapter 18

ARNAV came into the bedroom to find Khushi trimming the plants at poolside. It was dark except for some light filtering in from the bed side lamp in the bedroom. He hadn't expected her to be awake as it was almost 2' o clock.

'Khushi,' Arnav called from the sliding doors. Khushi ignored him. 'Khushi!' He walked up to her and took the scissors from her hands and threw it on the floor. 'Why aren't you asleep?'

'I felt like gardening.' She replied evenly.

He looked at the pathetic state of some of the plants. 'I wish that is what you were doing.'

'Are you angry with me?' She shot back. 'Why don't you walk out?'

'Shut up Khushi!' He swung her around, holding her upper arms crushing the soft flesh.

She shrugged off his hands and hit his chest. 'Why did you walk out of our conversation?'

He raised his eyebrow hands on his hips. 'Do you expect me to stand quietly listening while you support your ex?'

'You didn't pick up my calls.'

'I didn't pick up because I was tired of listening to you defending that moron!' He said exasperated.

'I was defending him because I don't care Arnav!'

'I don't care that he didn't come to the wedding!'

'I don't care that he slept with Ria!'

'I don't care that he thinks we slept together!'

'What the --?'

'But I do care what you think.' Tears streamed down her cheeks. 'I did not tell him that you hurt me. He guessed that there was someone in my past. I didn't want to talk about it and he made assumptions.'

'Of course he did,' Arnav's voice broke on a catch in his throat. 'That is what that moron is capable of.'

She advanced on him. 'If you know -- why did you say such things?'

'What things?'

'That you were delusional?' Khushi moved toward him.

Arnav took a step back and felt the wall against his back. 'I was jealous.'

'How can you be jealous when you were so sure I didn't love him?' Khushi demanded.

'But you were so angry with me instead of being angry with him.' Arnav pointed out.

'So? Do you want me to be angry with someone who doesn't matter to me? Someone who means NOTHING to me?'

She threw her arms around him and pressed her lips against his with fervour, sending a jolt right into his gut. She lifted her head and searched his face.

'I love you Arnav!'

A varied range of emotions passed through his brown eyes in just a few seconds. Suddenly he swung her around to press her against the wall as his head descended and his mouth imprisoned her lips, taking advantage of her gasp of surprise, to possess her mouth with shocking intensity and purpose.

Automatically her hand rose to his shoulders to brace herself against his onslaught. He made no attempt to control or hide the arousal of his body as it hunted against hers.

Frustration – or was it anger? – lent his actions an intensity which shocked her as his tongue seduced her. As if she had been plugged into the mains electricity supply her whole body became transformed, trembling with a need which could be assuaged only by him.

She sighed her satisfaction as Arnav's fingers lifted the heavy fall of her black hair from her neck, his eager fingers undoing the pin on her pallu to caress the delicate skin on the nape of her neck.