One Day At A Time

Chapter 50 - Slice of Heaven

"Watch out, Khush!" Arnav shouted against the buffeting cold wind, drawing tears from their eyes as they rode through the backstreets of the city. "You will have to hold me for this one, I promise you."

"You wish!" Khushi cried as she tightened the hold on the steel support bar behind her seat.

The resolve to get through the ride without holding each other after the whole fiasco of the previous day soon gained the potential to turn into a challenge for Arnav to tempt Khushi to do the exact opposite. Arnav was trying every trick in the book, getting her to hold him despite their agreement of not doing so, and Khushi was being herself, standing up to the challenge and winning it.

Grinning slyly, Arnav took a deep left turn from the narrow street, bending the bike so low that his knee was a few feet away from skimming the ground. Khushi squealed as she pulled her knee up and burst into a laugh. Clutching the bar tightly, she managed to stay on the seat without falling or holding him.

"Damn, you're still good at this." Arnav conceded with a smile.

"No, this turn wasn't that deep. We've done worse, remember?" She murmured in his ear. "I think you are riding responsibly right now, Saaheb—" She teased. "— a definite sign of —"

"Are you saying I am growing too old for such stunts, Khush?"

Hearing her laughter as a response, he accelerated the bike with a surge of power along the uneven road making sure to drive through a few potholes he could spot at that speed, challenging her to suffer the jerks without holding him. Her giggles filled and stroked his senses, dispersing the stress, anxiety and pain they had endured for the four long unforgettable years of their lives into the cold December air. Drowned in ripples of laughter, their minds free of tumult and worries, and hearts filled with a promise of happiness for years to come, they rode the long and dusty winding road ahead in gay abandon. The blessings from their parents had added a beautiful shimmer to the night, making it one of the most beautiful rides they had experienced together. They chatted about the most mundane issues in the world and found humour even in the simplest things, resulting from the pure joy that had touched their hearts after a very long wait.

As they approached Aarav's farmhouse, Kabir and his gang passed them by on their bikes, waving at them with grins, forcing a smile on Khushi's face to slip.

"Why is Kabs – are we meeting the gang right now?"

The twenty-minute ride finally ended when Arnav pulled up the bike in front of the big farmhouse. "You think I am in the mood for a social evening right now?" He questioned, arching a brow at her. "Chhotu has a show tomorrow, and they were probably rehearsing. So this place has become their backup studio where they can practice without the worry of disturbing the neighbours given the convenient location in the outskirts of the town."

Nodding at him, the frown still intact on her forehead, she got off the bike and stood beside him while he opened the farmhouse door with the spare key hidden under one of the plant pots.

Entering the house, she felt his soft hands remove her jacket draped over her cardigan. Leading the way across the square hallway, Arnav smiled as he opened the living room door and invited her to precede him. But she stood in the doorway in silence, frozen, dumbstruck.

The entire room was lit with candles and bathed in a beautiful twilight glow. On the floor were thousands of petals of different flowers forming a colourful soft carpet, and the air was laden with a heavy scent of roses and jasmine. Her gaze fell on the door leading to the garden, and she could see the railing of what seemed to be a small verandah draped in glowing fairy lights. As she stepped forward, she saw its stone steps leading to a huge back garden. Shocked beyond speech, her roving eyes flicked back to the flickering flames all around her, and she sighed when she felt a pair of hands circle her waist.