Aranv, this better be worth it" Khushi said as she fixed the untidy bun of her hair. They had been walking for the past fifteen minutes and Arnav stubbornly refused to tell her where they were going. Finally they stopped in front of a cathedral. It was a huge building made of white stone with majestic pillars . It had a classic Victorian touch to it and Khushi couldn't help but gasp. Arnav took her hand and led her inside. There were a few people present, but it was largely empty. They sat on one of the pews and looked around. Beautiful religious paintings adorned the walls and the Arnav gazed at the holy scriptures. He had always been interested in different religions and cultures; he had various books on them but he never told anyone about this interest- it sounded very boring.
His gaze then averted to Khushi- her head was bowed and she was praying as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Arnav to decided to ask God for something too and looking at Khushi, he knew what he wanted. He smiled and completed his prayer. At that very moment, Khushi s eyes opened. "Let's leave"Arnav said quietly and Khushi nodded. They didn't speak for exactly five minutes when both screamed simultaneously "What did you pray for?" Khushi laughed and said "I don't think its right to share your prayers or wishes. They might not come true." Chuckling Arnav replied "I don't know about that. All I wished was for a better future. It's a bit hopeless with you as my wife and the fact that I am stuck with you till the rest of my life. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. There is still some hope for you". Khushi patted his cheek pitifully. "Anyone with a little brain would know that surviving with you day and night is not an easy task Mr. Raizada. So thank your stars I am still putting up with you."
"Ouch that hurt Khushi" Arnav said while clutching his heart. Khushi rolled her eyes and asked "So this was another addition to your collection of different cultures huh?" Arnav looked at her amazed." How did you know? I have spent half my life guarding my precious secret!" Khushi giggled mischievously and said" Noone can have a rack full of books on one topic if he isn't very interested in it". Not knowing what to say, Arnav just glared at her and watched her saunter back into the hotel.
"For God's sake Khushi! It's not our wedding. Get out of the bathroom! The show is about to start" Arnav bellowed. It had become a daily routine now- Khushi taking hours in the bathroom and Arnav screaming himself hoarse outside it. He raised his hand to knock again but the door opened. Arnav stopped in the same position and stared open mouthed at Khushi. To say that she looked beautiful would be an understatement. She was wearing a champagne coloured gown, highlighting her golden brown hair which tumbled down in gentle waves. Her huge green eyes were accentuated with a greenish brown mascara and her lips had a hint of shiny lip gloss. She hated lipsticks. Her neck was bare but she wore chandelier earrings which seemed to kiss her neck and a slinky diamond bracelet along with of course her wedding ring. She walked up to Arnav and smiled seeing him in a daze. She kissed him lightly on the mouth and said "Honey, I always look great so get used to it". Arnav snapped back to attention at that. "Who said you were looking good? I was just wondering how someone could look so bad!". He then ducked to avoid a well deserved punch and offered his hand "Shall we?" and Khushi took it.
They had been invited to the show at Club Lido, one of Paris's most famous nightspots. Tonight was special since the anniversary bash of the Ritz Hotel was being held there. After mingling with a few of Arnav's associates, they proceeded towards the bar. Khushi ordered orange juice for herself and arnavd ordered wine. While sipping their drinks, Arnav got cornered by another colleague and they began talking about the stock market and topics alien to Khushi. She sighed. This was another fear that had always withheld her- that she wouldn't fit in Arnav's glamourous lifestyle. He was rich and famous, all these parties, socializing, business talks came naturally to him but not to her. Arnav had noticed the lost expression on her face and excused himself from the extremely boring conversation. His warm hand covered Khushi s hand and he said in a low tone " Even I get bored at some of these affairs. And by the way, that man bored the pants off me". Khushi looked at him and stammered "But I didn't say anything". He laughed in reply " You have a very expressive face and you look awfully cute when you blush". Right on cue, she blushed.
Khushi gaped horrified as they settled on their seats. The "show" was a cabaret and Khushi shut her eyes as she watched the less than partially dressed females parade on stage. Beside her Arnav too wasn't too comfortable but seeing Khushi squirm in her seat made him grin. To irritate her, he looked at the show as if it was the most fascinating thing in he world. And he was rewarded when he saw Khushi fuming in her seat. "You are so dead Arnav singh raizada" she muttered to herself. Just then something tickled Khushi's funny bone. The dancers were wearing some ridiculous kind of peacock thing on their heads and Khushi chortled loudly. She didn't stop despite Arnav's attempts and finally he took her outside since everyone was giving them menacing looks. Outside, he managed to subdue her and asked "Khushi, what were you doing?" She broke into giggles again and managed between giggles," Sorry arnav!". She looked look like a child caught lying and his heart melted. She was shivering because of the cold so Arnav wrapped his jacket around her and took her back to the hotel.
"I am not talking to you Arnav" Khushi said angrily. "Khushi listen to me.." Arnav pleaded but khushi put her fingers in her ears and refused to listen. They were on their way to the airport and Khushi still hadn't seen Eiffel Tower. "How can you go to Paris and not go to Eiffel Tower? she had wailed when Arnav told her they couldn't make it. She was now angrily looking down when the car jerked and shw looked out. There in front of her was the Eiffel Tower. "Arnaaavvv" she gasped."I was just being stupid. We'll miss our flight." Arnav smirked" I may be your husband Khushi but am not stupid. I changed our flight to three hours later so this gives us ample time to explore your Eiffel Tower and stop cursing me."Khushi hugged him in delight and the set off. Khushi was exhausted midway but kept up with Arnav. At the top floor, they both stopped to catch their breath. Khushi looked down and whispered " It's beautiful!" Arnav leaned in closer. "It is" he murmured against her lips. "You know, I've heard it's very romantic to kiss at the top of Eiffel Tower". "Is it" asked Khushi playing along. "It is" and to prove his point he kissed her. Thoroughly, deeply just like last time and he wouldn't have stopped if the alarm on his cell hadn't rung. Pulling away, he said regretfully " We have a flight to catch". Her eyes reflected her disappointment and the made their way outside.
