**ON HIATUS**
(IPKKND AU) This is no longer the story of a girl who crashed a fashion show and a man who thought she was a corporate spy.
It's her last year of college, and Khushi's family are looking for a husband for their youngest daughter. S...
She was unexpectedly intriguing and he was unable to stay away. He'd waited for her to return to the room with bated breath and when she hadn't, had invented an excuse to follow her. Arnav took a deep breath as he placed the canister on the upper shelf, memorizing her floral scent to augment his recollection of her. He stepped back with reluctance, introducing a polite distance between them.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Y-yes. Th-Thank you."
"Khushi ..." her sister appeared in the archway. She froze, watching them both, "Are you ... are you okay?"
The girl - Khushi - nodded, exchanging a small smile with her sister before turning to him.
"Are you finished?"
Nodding, Arnav placed the glass on the countertop and followed her sister through the archway. He left her standing in the kitchen, breathing deeply and clutching the neckline of her green and pink kameez. Di raised her eyebrows at him as he returned to his family, no doubt imagining a more romantic encounter than the reality. He suppressed a scoff.
Me. Romantic. Yeah, right.
No one had ever accused Arnav Singh Raizada of being a romantic, and no one ever would.
Arnav eyed the barfi as he took his seat next to Aakash. He disliked sugar free desserts - what was the point? - but curiosity overpowered his distaste. He snatched a small piece from the platter, ignoring his sister's pointed look, and popped it into his mouth. Flavours erupted on his tongue. Even Di's best efforts paled in comparison.
Unsurprising, given her father's profession.
Nani started making polite noises about leaving, with Mami eagerly joining in, and soon they were all standing and taking leave of the Gupta family. Arnav hung back as everyone gathered at the door, taking advantage of his brief isolation to take another sweet from the table. There was a soft gasp from across the room.
She was standing in the archway, hands twisted into her dupatta as she watched him. Her cheeks turned pink as their eyes met. Somehow, her coy blushing was more endearing to him than anything else he'd seen her do. She hurried past him to exchange her farewells, refusing to look at him again.
In the car, Di hounded him for opinions before filling his silences with a string of her own observations.
"The Gupta family is so nice," she gushed, "They're exactly the kind of family Nani has in mind. Khushi-ji has all the values that are important to our family. And Chhote, did you see? She's educated, with plans to have an independent career, but she's so respectful and sweet. She's also deeply religious."
Arnav grimaced.
"And ..." Di glanced at him from the passenger seat, grinning cheekily, "She's beautiful. Her smile is infectious."
That it is ... and her eyes are expressive, and her hair looks so ...
Arnav halted his thoughts.
"So, Chhote, what did you think?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow, as usual," he said, "Give me a night to gather my thoughts, Di."
His family had developed a routine of leaving him alone after each meeting, giving him time and space to consider the impending alliances. He'd barely thought of those other girls after leaving their homes, taking advantage of the rare freedom and silence to catch up on much needed work instead.
But something told him that Khushi Kumari Gupta would infiltrate his thoughts.
Sure enough, as he lay in bed with moonlight streaming into his bedroom through the open curtains, Arnav couldn't banish the image of her eyes as they sparkled in mirth. He recalled the curve of her lips as she'd smiled at Di, the way she'd bitten her lip when Nani had asked about her future plans, her sharp intake of breath as their fingertips brushed.
He turned over, trying to banish her.
His fingers wondered if her hair was as silky as it looked. His nose asked how much of her floral scent was natural. His ears wanted to hear her sweet voice take his name. It was almost dawn before his eyes closed and his dreams took over, presenting him with a blushing Khushi who trembled at his touch and breathlessly took his name as he explored her.
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