Valley of Flowers

Chapter 19

KHUSHI woke up with a start realizing it was probably late again this morning. Arnav and she had returned back from the farm house, in the wee hours of the morning and gone right back to sleep.

She had been a little nervous as she entered the kitchen but to her relief she was informed that Mamaji and Mamiji were out visiting.

As she picked up the breakfast tray, she saw Arnav dressed for work talking on the phone at the pool side on the ground floor. She stepped in and placed the tray down on the table and just as she was about turn away he caught her to him, pulling her flush against himself, her back to his front, placing wet kisses behind her ear, as someone droned on the other side.

'Arnav!' Khushi bit out horrified that someone might see them.

'It's on mute.' He whispered back continuing his journey down the nape of her neck. 'Alright Lavanya , I will get back to you on that.' He concluded his phone call. 'Why are you wearing this unflattering suit today?

As Khushi secured her dupatta around her neck, Arnav moved it aside and pulled at her neckline. 'F@#$!' He looked at the dark bruise on her nape meaningfully. 'Last night?'

'Why were you talking to Lavanya ji?' She prevaricated, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

'She works for me remember?' Arnav said as he sat on the pool chair picking up a piece of toast.

'Is she going to continue working for you?' She said tentatively.

'When I met her at NK's engagement she assured me that she would be more attentive to her work in the future. It's not like I have a whole lot of choice. You don't to have worry about all this anymore.'

'Oh,' Khushi said in a low voice. How could she not worry?

If you think that this so called farce of a marriage is going to stop Arnav and me you are highly mistaken

Arnav was never really interested in marriage. Would he really follow the vows of marriage they had taken around the marital pyre? Or would Lavanya manage to lure him back into their relationship just as she had threatened?

He stood up wiping his hand on a towel. 'If I don't get to work in the next five minutes I will be losing a deal worth millions of dollars and Nani will probably regret her decision of bringing me here. In other words – I have got to go. But I do have time for ---'He pulled her to himself and took her lips, making love to her mouth, slowly and tenderly.

'There is only one other taste better than the kalmi kabab you made yesterday.' He said huskily.

'I thought you were too drunk to notice the taste.' She said trying to catch her breath.

He raked his hand through his hair. 'Was I so drunk? Did I say anything?' he said squinting his eyes.

'You said I was like your mother.' She said trying to keep a poker face.

''F@#$ I said that?' He said looking incredulous. She nodded trying to look innocent. Then they both broke into peals of laughter as the absurdity of it hit them simultaneously. As their laughter subsided they looked up to see the entire family watching them from the other side of the glass panes, staring at them in amusement.

Later that morning, Khushi stood outside the radiology department waiting for Anjali 's cast to be removed. The assistant orthopaedic doctor, Dr Mukherjee, an young Bengali man had requested Dr Manav to send her outside. She had been terrified looking at the power-saw they used to cut through the fibre glass cast and her squeals had made him nervous.